Lagos – International Data Corporation (IDC) today hosted the 9th installment of its annual IDC West Africa CIO Summit, with more than 100 of the country's most influential ICT decision makers in attendance at The Four Points by Sheraton Lagos. The event addressed the theme 'Accelerating Your Journey to a Digital-First World'.

"As organizations strive to recover from the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic, they are increasingly taking a digital-first approach to build resilience into their operations," says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC's group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. "The journey to the future digital enterprise has accelerated, driven by significant investments in new customer experiences, new digital ecosystem business models, digital supply chains, and Future of Work initiatives."

Lalchandani expanded on these thoughts as he presented the event's opening keynote, 'Reimagining Tech Strategies for a Digital-First World'. "All of this must be supported by resilient cloud-enabled digital infrastructure and applications, rapid app development, digital platforms, data-driven and AI-enabled intelligence, and security and trust," said Lalchandani. "Strong leadership, an appetite for innovation, and a sound strategy for addressing regulations will all be key to driving the digital agenda."

Expert speakers were on hand throughout the day to explore all these themes and more, presenting informative best-practice sessions that addressed topics such as:

• Cloud Computing: The Springboard for Digital Transformation

• From Secure to Trusted: A Journey to Digital Leadership

• The Convergence of 5G, IOT, and Edge: Preparing for a Digital Quantum Leap

The agenda also incorporated a fascinating 'fireside chat' on the subject of 'Solving for West Africa Innovation and Growth', as well as informative panel discussions on implementing effective vendor selection and management strategies and enabling greater alignment, collaboration, and co-innovation with lines of business. These sessions showcased first-hand insights and experiences from some of the region’s most respected ICT leaders, including:

• Tobe Nnadozie, Divisional Head, Business Technology & Digital Innovation, Central Securities Clearing Systems

• Dr. Samuel Mbonu, CIO, Tangerine Africa

• Yemisi Otasanya, Divisional Head of Digital Technology / Senior Business Development Manager, Africa Prudential

• Prasanna Burri, Group CIO, Dangote Group

• Zechariah Akinpelu, CISO, Unity Bank

• Jackson Ikiebe, Head of IT Operations & Governance, FBN Insurance

• Steve Uma, CIO / Head of Information Services & Technology, NSIA Insurance

• Eche Agubata, Head of IT Governance & Strategy, Union Bank of Nigeria

The IDC West Africa CIO Summit was supported by the following organizations: Host Partner: Huawei Cloud; Strategic Partner: The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Summit Partner: AWS; Platinum Partners: VMware, KnowBe4 Africa, Google Cloud; Technology Focus Group Partners: Nozomi Networks, Hewlett Packard Enterprise operated by Selectium; Exhibit Partners: Kaspersky, ManageEngine, Datamellon; Associate Partner: The Fintech Association of Nigeria.

To learn more about the IDC West Africa CIO Summit 2022, please contact Sheila Manek at smanek@idc.com  or on +971 4 446 3154. You can also join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #IDCWACIO.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,200 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

IDC in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa

For the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region, IDC retains a coordinated network of offices in Riyadh, Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Istanbul, with a regional center in Dubai. Our coverage couples local insights with international perspectives to provide a comprehensive understanding of markets in these dynamic regions. Our market intelligence services are unparalleled in depth, consistency, scope, and accuracy. IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey currently fields over 130 analysts, consultants, and conference associates across the region. To learn more about IDC MEA, please visit www.idc.com/mea. You can follow IDC MEA on Twitter at @IDCMEA.

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