The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is searching for young Nigerian startups and hubs to feature at the 2021 edition of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) taking place in Dubai, United Arabs Emirates (UAE).
The young startups and hubs across the country which emerge tops at the Pitch Deck for GITEX Future Stars organized by NITDA would get sponsorship to the forthcoming 41st edition of GITEX taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Dubai, from October 17-21, 2021 with the theme – ‘Creating a bolder digital future together’.
A statement by NITDA’s head, corporate affairs and external relations unit, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, said the agency had opened a portal for application for sponsorship of Nigerian startups to the forthcoming event and urged interested Nigerians to visit https://bit.ly/nitda-gitex2021 to apply, pointing out that the application process would close by midnight of July 16, 2021 and thereafter, all entries would be evaluated, and successful startups would be selected and contacted.
The statement read in part, “GITEX is the biggest tech event in Asia, Middle-East and Africa and it also boasts of over 4,500 exhibitors, 400+ active investors and 150,000 trade visitors from 140+ countries that participate at the 5-days global tech expo and conference. The GITEX Technology Week 2021 promises to be a major meeting point for technology professionals and enthusiasts. GITEX is a major thrust for Global Startup Movement attracting some of the world’s biggest technology mentors, angel investors and venture capitalists.
“Nigeria has featured a strong delegation and country pavilion presence through NITDA since 2013 to explore cross-nations’ deals and collaborations. In the last six years, NITDA has provided strong support for Nigerian startups by featuring over 50 startups at GITEX Future Stars Pavilion. This year, NITDA is set to do the same through its subsidiary, National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR).
“The exhibition offers attendees and startups an opportunity to explore and gain new perspectives, explore innovative ideas, expand their networking opportunities through facilitated business meetings, blockbuster showcases and enlightening briefings. This year, aside the GITEX Future Stars, the event is super exciting with the introduction of programs such as Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit, AI Everything, Marketing Mania, etc.”
The NITDA 2021 GITEX application portal, according to the statement, is now open, and the agency is calling for applications from innovative technology-driven startups with solutions addressing any of these specified problems’ areas: Fifth-generation wireless technology (5G); Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Augmented Analytics; Transportation; Digital Economies; Cyber Security and Resilience; Cloud and Edge computing, and Blockchain technology.
It said the applications would be considered and scored by a panel of judges from within the Nigerian technology startup ecosystem based on the solutions that address any of the aforementioned that met global standards.
