By Olubunmi Adeniyi

December 11, 2009. Nigeria’s top Web innovators and entrepreneurs will gather to share experiences at the “Web 2.0 Forum” of Technology Times Outlook 2010 Business Summit coming up in February in Lagos.

The event which is organised by Technology Times Media Limited, publishers of the Technology Times titles, is the company’s flagship business summit on ICT Roadmap for the Nigerian Economy holding February 2-4, 2010 in Lagos.

Director of Programmes, Technology Times Outlook 2010 Business Summit, Sunmisola Adedokun announced weekend that the special Web 2.0 Forum will showcase leading innovators and entrepreneurs among the nation’s fast growing Internet community.

“We are particularly pleased to be able to create a platform for your Nigerians leveraging channels opened by the Internet to build communities, build capacity, empower other and hone their entrepreneurial capabilities toward the positive development of ICT in the country”, she added.

“The Web 2.0 Forum is planned to converge this crop of Nigeria’s digerati alongside CEOs, policy and decision makers across diverse segments of Nigerian ICT industry to share experiences, exchange ideas and offer insights on laying the foundation for a growth-oriented ICT in 2010 and beyond”, Adedokun added.

Outlook 2010 will feature keynotes, panel sessions, leadership luncheons, new product announcements and showcase of innovative products and services across the ICT product, service and value chain in Nigeria, she said in a statement today announcing the upcoming event.

The event will also converge the largest gathering of professionals in ICT and allied sectors featuring landmark ‘events-with-event’ including The Mobile Telephony Forum; e-Payment Forum; ICT in Governance Forum; Journalism and New Media Forum, Internet Forum, among others.

Technology Times Outlook 2010, hosted by a partnership of private and public sector institutions, will be attended by Ministers, CEOs, Regulators, Innovators and Investors who will share experiences, offer insights and exchange ideas on ICT issues that will shape and define the overall Nigerian economy in 2010 and beyond.

Since its debut in 2008, Technology Times Outlook Business Summit has become Nigeria’s must-attend annual ICT event where decision makers across the ICT ecosystem converge every February to point the compass in the direction the industry is headed.

The Summit will feature keynotes, panel sessions, leadership luncheons, new product announcements and showcase of innovative products and services across the ICT product, service and value chain in Nigeria.

Technology Times Outlook 2010 will also converge the largest gathering of professionals in ICT and allied sectors featuring landmark ‘events-with-event’ including The Mobile Telephony Forum; e-Payment Forum; ICT in Governance Forum; Journalism and New Media Forum, Internet Forum, among others.

Speakers at Web 2.0 Forum include Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Gbenga Sesan and Executive Director, Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), Oreoluwa Somolu. Others include CEO, Startups Nigeria, Loy Okezie; CEO, Kogno Worldwide Ltd, Oluseye Amusa; Co-founder, Sturvs, Temi Kolawole; CEO TimbaObject Company, Tim Akinbo; an Internet Strategist, Ayodeji Adewunmi; COO, Dudumobile, Mayowa Owolabi and a Web Developer and consultant, Sheriff Shittu.

Gbenga Sesan was originally trained as an electronic and electrical engineer at Obafemi Awolowo University. He completed his executive management training at Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology Transfer, Oxford University, Harvard University and Stanford University.

His consulting experience includes assignments completed for numerous institutions, including Microsoft, Harvard University, UN Economic Commission for Africa, and the International Telecommunications Union. He is member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT.

Sesan’s company, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), is a social enterprise that connects underserved Nigerian youth with ICT opportunities; with specific concern about the ill effects of unemployment and cybercrime, among other vices that limit the potential contribution of young Nigerians to the nation’s economy.

Having worked with government, civil society, private institutions and international organizations including the United Nations, PIN has set standards in ICT education, telecentre support, ICT applications in rural areas, and other ICT interventions in Nigeria. Oreoluwa Somolu is the Executive Director of W.TEC, a non-profit organisation based in Nigeria working to encourage Nigerian women to use technology to empower themselves socially and economically. Her professional experience spans the United States and Nigeria and includes researching the cross-section of gender and technology; developing educational tools and websites; and implementing programmes to attract more girls and women to study and work in science and technology fields.

Somolu has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from Essex University, U.K and a Masters of Science Degree in Information Systems from the London School of Economics. She is a 2009 recipient of the Anita Borg Change Agent Award for her commitment to supporting Nigerian women in computing.

Also on the speakers list is Loy Okezie, a Web marketing strategist and start-up analyst. He graduated with a B. Sc in Business Administration from the University of Abuja, Nigeria and has spent over five years working with management and recruitment consulting firms in Nigeria, France and the UK.

He has consulted for several small and mid-sized companies and has advised start-ups, including a leading job portal in Nigeria. Born in Lagos, he has travelled around Africa and Europe with a passion for technology, start-ups and new media communication tools.

Oluseye Amusa is the founding CEO of Kogno Worldwide Ltd, a Web 2.0, business development and support company with a unique approach to service provision borne out of the exceptional and complementary skills of its core management team.

The company’s service philosophy is predicated on the belief that the future of business solutions lies in the continued convergence of business and ICT solutions.

On his own, Temi Kolawole is a young technology enthusiast and a graduate of Babcock University. He is a Web developer who has mastered various aspects of Web design.

He co-founded Antigravity Inc. which powers some of the major Internet brands in Nigeria including Veda, AIT, Genevieve Magazine, Sturvs, Bella Naija and NotjustOK. He is very passionate about the future of the Nigerian Internet and placing Nigeria among the world’s leading tech start-up countries.

Tim Akinbo is a computer professional currently based in Lagos, Nigeria whose interests include Web and mobile technologies. He runs TimbaObjects Company, a company that specializes in building Web and mobile applications.

At Jobberman, Ayodeji Adewunmi guides the overall strategic orientation and business processes, a company he co-founded. He is an Internet strategist for four years, and the producer of the successful BarCamp Nigeria. He is also a recipient of the inaugural Malaria Awards 2006 and was named a TEDGlobal 2007 Fellow.

On his part, Mayowa Owolabi, who describes himself as having “a strong passion for ICT with stronger emphasis on mobile banking and e-commerce” attended King’s College, Lagos and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He owns and runs dudumobile and several other Web ICT startups. He started his first company before leaving the university and has consulted on solutions development and business development for several companies and organizations within and outside Nigeria.

Sheriff Shittu is a Web developer and strategist with over half a decade experience in web development and consulting. As a developer, some of his applications are currently running in top Federal Universities in Nigeria. He’s also a top blogger on Web strategies and business on webtrendsng.com sharing his insightful knowledge about the Nigerian Web market and trends.

According to Adedokun, attendees at the Outlook 2010 attendees will:

•    Discover where Nigerian ICT industry is headed in 2010 and beyond;

•    Network with CEOs and decision makers in ICT, financial services and key sectors of the Nigerian economy

•    Hear inspiring insights, experiences and ideas from industry leaders and innovators

•    Connect key executives that take corporate ICT buying decisions

•    Meet frontline thought leaders in the Nigerian ICT sector

•    Get first-hand announcements on key industry innovations and policy directions

•    Explore innovative ICT products and services

•    Network with key press and media decision makers

•    Get answers to your thought-provoking questions directly from ICT decision makers

•    Leverage strategic opportunity to contribute policy recommendations that foster growth-oriented ICT industry in Nigeria