Eggheads in the digital technology development sector, led by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and his Innovation, Science and Technology counterpart, Chief Uche Nnaji, will storm Enugu tomorrow (Wednesday) for a three-day tech festival.

This is as the Enugu State government declared its readiness to reduce poverty headcount to zero using investments in technology.

Also featuring at the festival tagged “Coal to Code” are the founder of Zinox Technologies, Leo Stan Ekeh; former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; businessman, Obinna Iyiegbu; investor Harry Tomi Davies; and tech founder Ugochukwu Aronu, among others.

State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Lawrence Ezeh, told journalists in Enugu on Monday that the tech festival is to ignite a movement that would reshape thinking about technology, investment, and talent development in Enugu and across Nigeria.

He stated that the festival, taking place at the prestigious International Conference Centre (ICC), was part of Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to transform Enugu into a globally competitive tech and innovation hub, adding that the program, which includes hands-on workshops for young developers and innovators and a state-of-the-art tech exhibition, would see startups engaged directly with local and international investors.

“The ‘Coal to Code’ is a deliberate and symbolic statement. It acknowledges our rich past as the heart of Nigeria’s coal industry — a legacy of industry, of hard work, and of nation-building. But more importantly, it speaks to where we are going. It captures the seismic shift from extractive economies to knowledge economies; from heavy industry to high technology,” the Commissioner stated.

He stated that already a lot of interest was being shown by emerging tech experts on the eastern corridor, stressing that a number of investment deals have either been concluded or are already at advanced stages.

“With our talent base, infrastructure development, and political will, we are making the right moves to earn that attention. We expect participants from across sectors: software developers, engineers, students, startup founders, investors, academia, and policymakers. We encourage everyone not just to attend, but to come prepared — to connect, to collaborate, to pitch, to learn, and perhaps even to pivot,” he added.

He said that hundreds of brand-new laptops and tablets would be given away as prizes, “as part of our commitment to equipping the next generation of digital creators and innovators with the tools they need to thrive,” stressing that the giveaways would be tied to competitions, workshops, and other interactive sessions, encouraging active participation and excellence.

The commissioner disclosed that the ministers’ presence underscores the Federal Government’s growing commitment to fostering a dynamic, youth-driven tech ecosystem beyond Lagos and Abuja.

“The whole essence of this is for us to open our doors and space for the global community to begin to see Enugu as their next destination where their tech funds should arrive.

“We have a whole lot of startups that are all over Enugu here. But they’re not getting the right funding. The funding they get is just a pinch of what those in Lagos have trapped.

“About 99 per cent of tech funds that come into Nigeria all get trapped in Lagos because the international tech global community believes that tech happens only in Lagos as far as Nigeria is concerned. They don’t believe that there’s any other place that tech is happening,” he said.
Eze noted, however, that with the right kind of leadership given by Governor Peter Mbah, the state had been able to attract national and international attention.

He said: “Prior to this time, we had managed to get the honorable minister for communication to visit us, and that one-day visit alone attracted digital investment worth over N10 billion. You can imagine this one that is a three-day event; your guess is as good as mine.

“So, if you don’t position yourself for investments, nobody will come. I must tell you that these things are happening because we have the right leadership, led by Governor Peter Mbah, who is tech-savvy. He believes that technology can help you make more money, help you save money, and help you secure your money.

“Without the right policies in place, it is impossible to bring these ministers here because they’re the ones that make policies for this industry, while we at the state level align.

“So, coming down here to see what we’re doing can guide them to make the right policies that, in the next budget season, Enugu State would now be fully captured as part of the states that have positioned themselves for digital transformation at a very rapid pace.”

He disclosed that the state had set up a tracking mechanism that would give rise to tracking the amount of digital transformation Enugu will be having in the next one year after the festival, saying, “We’re also going to be tracking and monitoring the amount of tech-related investments that will be coming into Enugu and, by extension, the Southeast.”