The Enugu State Government, on Tuesday, reiterated its resolve to support tech-innovative youths to soar higher, even as it received the winner of the Best AI Short Film Award, Engr. Nzube Ndiokwelu.
It would be recalled that Ndiokwelu, Founder of Beaconsmith Collective, a technology venture, won the Best AI Short Film Award at the prestigious Naija AI Film Festival held at the Mike Adenuga Center, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Saturday.
Congratulating Ndiokwelu and his team in Enugu, the Commissioner of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Lawrence Eze, said that the win “is a win for Enugu State; a win for the entire Enugu tech-innovative ecosystem”.
Eze said that the state had been encouraging its youths and “firing them up to be focused, put in the right energy and the right state of mind and creativity as the sky remains their limits.” According to him, with this win, it really tells the world that Enugu is the right place for digital transformation in the 21 Century.
The commissioner said, “Enugu is leading and topping in every ramifications of innovation and tech ecosystem in West Africa now and not just in Nigeria.
“And what we are doing is to show the world that we are that sub-national to beat anytime, any day.”
Eze said that digital transformation does not require one to relocate from one point to another, where you pay high accommodation and get disconnected from your relatives, who might be of help as you gradually grow.
“All you just need is to have connectivity to the internet, have your devices, which can be sourced here in Enugu, and with that, the sky becomes your limit”.
He lauded Ndiokwelu for staying in Enugu with his team, putting in the best and being the winner in a national event in Lagos, which might have attracted tech-innovators and competitors from neighbouring West African countries.
Earlier, Ndiokwelu, a Citrea Nigeria Ambassador and Founder of Beaconsmith Collective, commended Gov. Peter Mbah and Eze for their vision in making investments and building collaborations meant to improve the tech-innovative ecosystem of the state.
He said that the win remained “a huge testament that there is immense creativity in Enugu State, there is immense talent in Enugu State, and you can build whatever you want within the state”.
Ndiokwelu, who is a technologist, encouraged the entire populace in the country to adopt emerging technologies and the digital economy as well as gain from their advantages.
“We are taking it a step further as leaders to train people in all emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, bitcoin, biotech, robotics, and technology-enabled arts as well as upgrade our technologies to meet the emerging fields,” he said.
