The Pitch Room Africa

The PitchRoomAfrica Special at Akwa Ibom Tech Week, a special series of conversations bringing some of Nigeria's brightest minds and ecosystem players powered by the Akwa-Ibom Tech Week

WE INVITED FUNTO BOROFFICE FOUNDER AND CEO OF CHANJA DATTI LTD. WE DEEP DIVE INTO AFRICA’S WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUE. WE EXPLORE AT LENGTH THE DIFFERENT OUTLOOKS IN COLLABORATION, LAID EMPHASIS ON THE URGENCY AND EXPLORE THE WORK BEING DONE AT CHANJA DATTI LTD IN SOLVING AFRICA’S WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUES STARTING FROM LAGOS. Bio Funto Boroffice ​Funto Boroffice is the founder/CEO of award-winning Chan...

WE INVITED IDONGESIT THE LEAD PUBLICIST OF THE AKWA-IBOM TECH WEEK. WE EXPLORED HIS JOURNEY FROM JOURNALISM TO START-UP TECH AND LENGTHILY DISCUSSED THE UPCOMING AKWA-IBOM TECH WEEK WITH SOME OF HIS COLLEAGUES JOINING US ON STAGE. Akwa-Ibom Tech Week: The Akwa Ibom Tech Week is driven by a community of innovators who drive the technology ecosystem in Akwa Ibom State. We represent residents practic...

WE INVITED HON. DR. MOININA DAVID SENGEH CHIEF MINISTER AND CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE. WE TALKED ABOUT INNOVATION, THE DONE, AND THE FUTURE OF WORK TO BE DONE IN EXECUTING THE NATIONAL INNOVATION STRATEGY OF SIERRA LEONE. io Dr David Moinina Sengeh ​ Dr. David Moinina Sengeh   serves as the Chief Minister and the Chief Innovation Officer of the Government of the Repu...

WE INVITED HON. DR MONICA MUSENERO MINISTER FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT UGANDAN. WE SPOKE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ELEVATED THINKING AS A PROPONENT OF INNOVATION AND GROWTH IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE EXPLORED THE WORK BEING DONE BY HER MINISTRY AND THE UPCOMING NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK IN UGANDAN. Bio  Musenero Masanza, DVM, MS, MPH ​Dr. Musenero is currently...

WE INVITED AYODEJI FOUNDER OF AKOWE. WE SPOKE ABOUT INNOVATION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR AND LAID EMPHASIS ON THE NEED FOR AN ACADEMIC VERIFICATION SYSTEM. THROUGH HIS WORK WITH AKOWE, AYODEJI IS PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A DIGITAL AND VERIFIABLE ACADEMIC RECORD. Bio Ayodeji Ademola Agboola ​ Ayodeji  is a technology entrepreneur, who provides digital services and solutions for everyday bu...

WE INVITED EGERTON-IDEHEN EX-HEAD OF SALES AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, FOR A SALES MASTERCLASS. WE SPOKE ABOUT DIFFERENT SALES STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES AS WELL AS EXPLORED THE UNIQUE APPROACH ACROSS MARKETS. Bio Jane Egerton-Idehen ​ Jane Egerton-Idehen  is a Tech Executive, Author and Angel Investor. She was the Head of Sales in, the Middle East and Africa for Meta ( Facebook). Prior to that, sh...

WE INVITED ALEX BAKIR GENERAL PARTNER AT NORRSKEN ACCELERATOR. WE SPOKE ABOUT IMPACT INVESTMENT AND EXPLORE THE DISPARITY THAT COMES WITH THE FLOW OF INVESTMENT TO EARLY-STAGE FOUNDERS. WE ALSO ATTEMPTED TO DEFINE IMPACT AND ESTABLISH THE METRICS THAT DEFINE SCALABILITY IN IMPACT. Bio Alex Bakir ​ Alex  is currently a General Partner at Norrsken Accelerator, investing in high-impact pres-seed comp...

WE INVITED MALIK CELEBRATED FILMMAKER AND VISUAL ARTIST. WE SPOKE ABOUT HIS WORK WITH THE POPULAR ELDERLY SERIES AND HOW AI PLAYED A ROLE IN ART. WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIES AROUND USING GENERATIVE AI IN THE CREATIVE SPACE. Brief about Malik ​ Malik Afegbua  is a Visionary, filmmaker, artist and designer. He is well known for his outside-the-box thinking approach by applying the use of artif...

WE INVITED DR eMALICK NJIE FOUNDER AND CEO OF ECOTONE. WE SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF AI AND WE WENT ON TO EXPLORE THE USE CASES OF AI IN MEDICINE. WE ALSO EXPLORED THE EXTREMITIES OF AI AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR REGULATORS TO GET AHEAD OF IT. ​ Brief on  Dr eMalick Njie: ​Dr Njie, who previously served as a senior scientist in a Nobel Prize-winning laboratory at Columbia Universi...

WE INVITED MELVYN LUBEGA CO-FOUNDER AT GO1 AND MANAGING PARTNER AT BREEGA. IN OUR CONVERSATION WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A UNICORN, FIND THE RIGHT TEAM, EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS WITH INVESTORS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW TO APPROACH BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL STARTUP. ​ Brief on Melvyn: ​ Melvyn Lubega  is an experienced technology entrepreneur and investor who has built businesses that serve cu...

WE INVITED GEOFREY CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF KARAA. IN OUR CONVERSATION WE EXPLORED WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD IN AFRICA A SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY. WE TOUCHED ON THE NUANCES OF YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND THE ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY OF KARAA. Brief on  Geofrey Mutabazi : ​Geofrey is passionate about unlocking the economic potential of Africa by providing productive assets and technology to empower and employ youth. T...

WE INVITED AJIBOLA COO OF AFRILABS. IN OUR CONVERSATION WE EXPLORED WHAT IT MEANS TO COLLABORATE AND BUILD SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS IN AFRICA. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW AFRILABS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEVERAGE THE POWER OF COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP TO BUILD AFRICA'S LARGEST ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM. Brief on Ajibola: ​ Ajibola  has over a decade of international experience in technology bus...

WE INVITED CRISTOBAL ALONSO CEO OF STARTUP WISE GUYS. IN OUR CONVERSATION WE EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS TO BUILD A SUSTAINED PROGRAM THAT BUILD ENTREPRENEURS IN AFRICA AS A GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM PLAYER. WE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO 5 ENTREPRENEURS PITCH FOR THE TOP 3 FAST TRACK PRIZE AT THE PRODUCT DEMO DAY. Brief on  Cristobal Alonso: ​ Cristobal Alonso  is the CEO of Startup Wise Guy s, Europe...

WE INVITED MUBARAK OSMAN CO-FOUNDER OF FISHBOWL CHALLENGE TO TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGE AND THEIR UNIQUE APPROACH TO EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURS. WE ALSO GET TO LISTEN TO PITCHES FROM DIFFERENT ENTREPRENEURS VYING TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE FISHBOWL CHALLENGE. Brief on Mubarak: ​ ⁠Mubarak Osman⁠  is a dynamic entrepreneur with a strong background in private equity and venture capital in Africa. He is acti...

WE INVITED CEM PERDAR EXPORT SALES MANAGER AT PAKMAYA, PAK HOLDING. IN HIS ROLE, CEM LEADS THE MARKET ENTRY AND EXPANSION OF PAKMAYA IN AFRICA. WE SPOKE ABOUT TRADE IN AFRICA, THE CHALLENGES AND THE SUCCESS OF INSTRUMENTS THAT SUPPORTS MARKET ENTRY/IMPORT AND EXPORT. Brief on Cem: ​ Cem  is the Export Manager of Africa and a market entry expert Pakmaya. Pakmaya is one of the top baker's yeast,...

WE INVITED DAVID OROK FOUNDER AND CEO OF NOCODE AFRICA AND TALCONN TO TALK ABOUT THE ELEMENT OF BUILDING A TECH COMPANY WITHOUT HAVING A TECHNICAL BACKGROUND. WE ALSO EXPLORE THE ART OF CO-FOUNDING VENTURES AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BUILD AN MVP WITH NO-CODE TOOLS. Bio ​ David Orok  is a tech entrepreneur and serial businessman. He is the Founder of Nocode Africa and  Talconn.  He has a degree in chemi...

WE INVITED UWEM UWEMAKPAN FORMER HEAD OF INVESTMENT AT INGRESSIVE CAPITAL, WHERE HE DROVE THE SUCCESS OF FUND 1 (10M USD) AND FUND 2 (50M USD). WE SPOKE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE AFRICAN ECOSYSTEM AND EXPLORED THE ISSUES AROUND COLLABORATION AND THE CURRENT INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE. Brief  Uwem Uwemakpan ​Uwem is an ecosystem builder and investor, dedicated to helping early-stage startups thrive in Afric...

WE INVITED OYIN ADEBAYO FOUNDER AND CEO OF NIYO GROUP . WE SPOKE ABOUT HER JOURNEY AND THE GENDER GAP THAT EXISTS IN THE TECH. WE EXPLORED THE NEED FOR MORE BLACK WOMEN TO GET INTO TECH AND THE CHALLENGES THAT EXIST. Brief on Oyin: ​Oyinkansola runs Niyo, a group of multi-award-winning companies that specialise in using technology to economically empower black women to be builders in the tech indu...

WE INVITED AUDU MAIKORI FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN OF CHOCOLATE CITY GROUP AND PIXLEY RAY STUDIOS. WE SPOKE ABOUT HIS JOURNEY AND THE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY IN AFRICA FACES. WE EXPLORED THE NEED FOR COLLABORATION AND ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT BY INDIVIDUALS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THAT EXIST. Brief Audu: ​ Audu Maikori  is a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, social activist,...

WE INVITED KATLEGO FOUNDER AND CEO OF MARKET PLAYERS. WE TALKED ABOUT BOSTWANA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH AS A RELATIONSHIP TO ENTREPRENUERSHIP AND INNOVATION. WE EXPLORED HER JOURNEY AND WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT AS A FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR IN BOTSWANA. ​ Brief Katlego Mokgethi ​ Katlego Mokgethi  is a visionary, leader, and doer. ​She is the founder and executive director of Market Players, a Botswana-ba...

WE INVITED TESH MBAABU CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF MARKETFORCE. WE TALKED ABOUT HIS JOURNEY, AND THE LOCAL RETAIL MARKET IN AFRICA, AND ATTEMPTED TO ANSWER SOME CONTROVERSIAL QUESTIONS ARISING IN THE TECH ENTREPRENEURSHIP SECTOR. ​ ⁠Tesh Mbaabu⁠   He is an African serial technology entrepreneur who lives to blend commerce and technology. He is the Co-founder and CEO of  ⁠MarketForce⁠ , a B2B Commerce pl...

WE INVITED ADESUWA FOUNDER AND CEO OF ARUWA CAPITAL FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT GENDER LENS INVESTING IN AFRICA. IN OUR CONVERSATION, WE ATTEMPTED TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES AROUND FEMALE ENTREPRENUERSHIP AND THE NEED TO HAVE MORE FEMALE CAPITAL DEPLOYERS. Brief Adesuwa: ​Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of  Aruwa Capital Management , one of the few growth equity and...

WE INVITED SAM BADDOO FOUNDER AND CEO OF FLERI FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT HIS JOURNEY TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE THROUGH A CENTRALISE ACCESS TO PROVIDERS IN AFRICA. IN OUR CONVERSATION, WE ATTEMPTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF DIASPORA AND REMITTANCES AS INVESTMENTS IN THE SECTOR. Sam ​ Sam Baddoo , founder and CEO of Fleri, grew up in Accra, Ghana and left for Morocco at age 18 on a United...

WE INVITED MEGHAN CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF OZÉ FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT HER JOURNEY FROM THE PEACE CORP TO OZÉ WHILE SPEAKING ON BEING A FEMALE FOUNDER IN THE MALE-DOMINATED FINTECH SPACE. Meghan ​Meghan McCormick is a systems thinker and strategist, passionate about designing solutions that bring real value to customers, corporations, and communities. She has spent her career focused geographically...