Interswitch is set to begin the sixth edition of its TechConnect industry engagement series in Owerri, Imo State, on September 24, with discussions focusing on how financial infrastructure can adapt to changing technology, customer expectations and business models.

The four-city TechConnect 6.0 series will subsequently move to Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos in October, bringing together representatives from government, financial services, technology and the wider business community.

The 2026 edition is themed, “Built for What’s Next: Designing Adaptive Financial Infrastructure for a Dynamic Market.”

Interswitch said discussions will examine how organisations can develop financial systems that are scalable, interoperable, secure and resilient as businesses and public institutions become increasingly dependent on digital services.

The first event will hold at Protea Hotel in Owerri and feature a keynote address, fireside chat, panel discussion and product demonstrations.

Justice Remigius Okoye, Executive Chairman of the Imo State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS), is expected to deliver the keynote address.

Okoye’s participation comes as the state revenue agency continues to increase its use of digital technology in tax administration and revenue collection.

IIRS has introduced electronic systems across parts of its operations, including the digital issuance of revenue notices and online vehicle documentation services.

His presentation at TechConnect is expected to examine the role of adaptable financial infrastructure in strengthening institutions, improving service delivery and widening participation in the digital economy.

Building infrastructure for change

Tyoyila Aga, Vice President, Business Innovation and Growth at Interswitch, said organisations needed to design technology around the expectation that markets and customer behaviour would continue to change.

“Building for what’s next means designing infrastructure with change being top of mind,” Aga said.

“Markets, customer expectations and business needs will continue to evolve, so the systems that support them must be scalable, interoperable, secure and resilient enough to evolve with them.”

According to Aga, organisations should look beyond simply adopting new technologies and consider how different systems can work together as new services and channels emerge.

“The opportunity is not simply to adopt new technology, but to build connected infrastructure that can support new services, new channels and new possibilities as they emerge,” he added.

Interoperability has become an increasingly important consideration as banks, fintech companies, government agencies and businesses operate across systems developed by different providers.

At the same time, greater dependence on digital infrastructure raises questions around cybersecurity, data protection, reliability and the ability of systems to continue operating during periods of disruption.

Those issues will form part of the conversations across the TechConnect series.

Public and private sectors discuss digital transformation

A major session at the Owerri event will examine the role of public-private partnerships in digital transformation.

The panel, titled Driving Digital Transformation Through Public-Private Partnerships, will bring together representatives from financial services, government and technology.

Participants include Dr Kalu Nnachi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zikora Microfinance Bank Limited; Celestine Obiosa Uzor, Managing Director of Premise2Cloud ICT Solutions Limited; and Emmanuel Alozie, who works in Technology and Process Automation at the Abia State Internal Revenue Service.

Interswitch’s Aga will also participate in the discussion, which will be moderated by Faith Ukpai, Lead, Partner and Client Management (Sales and Accounts) at Interswitch.

The panel is expected to consider how government institutions, financial service providers, technology companies and businesses can collaborate on digital systems while addressing practical requirements including interoperability, cybersecurity, resilience and data protection.

Another session will turn attention to the relationship between government policy, industry and skills development.

The fireside chat, Building a Digital Economy: The Role of Government, Industry and Talent in Shaping the Future, will feature Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Nomso Ebonwu and Interswitch Chief Sales Officer Robinta Aluyi.

Suliat Aliyu, Head of Partnership at Interswitch, will moderate the conversation.

The session will consider the different roles government, businesses and skilled professionals can play in developing a more connected digital economy.

Beyond payment transactions

Interswitch will also use the programme to demonstrate some of its payment and digital commerce products for businesses, financial institutions and public-sector organisations.

The product sessions will run alongside the broader discussions around financial infrastructure.

The focus reflects how the conversation around digital payments is increasingly expanding beyond individual transactions.

As more government services, businesses and consumer activities move online, the underlying infrastructure must be capable of connecting different services while handling greater transaction volumes and responding to new technologies and security threats.

For public institutions, the challenge also involves making digital services accessible and reliable enough to serve people with different levels of connectivity and technological familiarity.

The TechConnect discussions are therefore expected to address not simply what new technology can do, but how institutions can build systems capable of adapting as their requirements change.

Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos next

Following the Owerri event on September 24, Interswitch plans to take TechConnect 6.0 to Abuja on October 8.

The series will continue in Ibadan on October 22 before concluding in Lagos on October 27.

Interswitch said the four-city format is intended to allow stakeholders operating in different markets and sectors to exchange experiences and discuss some of the infrastructure challenges affecting digital finance.

The company describes its operations as spanning payments and digital commerce infrastructure serving financial institutions, businesses, governments and consumers.

Through TechConnect 6.0, it is seeking to move some of the industry’s attention from individual digital products towards the underlying systems required to support them.

For businesses and governments increasingly dependent on digital services, that distinction is significant.

A new application or payment channel can be introduced relatively quickly. Building infrastructure that remains secure, connected and reliable as millions of transactions, new services and changing customer demands move through it is a considerably longer-term challenge.

TechConnect 6.0 will put that challenge at the centre of its four-city conversation.