Tech hub targets 20 economic sectors for intervention, growth

The Zone Tech Park, an innovation centre, is set to focus on 20 thematic economic sectors to promote growth on the continent, as part of efforts towards addressing the developmental challenges facing Africa, and Nigeria in particular.

The Project Director of the innovation centre, Taiwo Oyewole, in a chat with journalists recently in Lagos, said the centre was created with the purpose of changing the status quo and helping individuals and businesses in the country and Africa in general, realise their full potential through education, venture building, and strategic enterprise support.

“Our innovation lines are themed along 20 thematic economic sectors that range from education, agriculture and food security, manufacturing, labour and productivity, healthcare, security, retail, customer service, supply chain management, energy and power, and some other technological trends like artificial intelligence, block chain technology, virtual/augmented realities, Internet of things, among others,” he said.

Besides offering research and product development, code academy, ventures, studio, innovation labs and events, the hub helps corporations innovate, like start-ups and help start-ups scale to become corporations.

“The objective is to be able to drill down within each space because we realise that technology is an enabler in itself and not a solution, it is an enabler that helps you arrive at the solution”, he said.

Oyewole said they are mindful of this and are focused on how to apply technology to create value for the economy and the country at large, noting that innovation is not limited to one location, as activities at the centre are not done in isolation of the larger ecosystem.

Speaking on a recent road show embarked on by The Zone Tech Park to the South West area of the country to interact with other tech hubs, Oyewole said they are not under any illusion that innovation is restricted to one location.

He said where the country stands within the system is still nascent and it would take efforts from all stakeholders to grow it, stating that the vision of The Zone Tech Park is for the whole continent, but they needed to start from Nigeria.