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IDC West Africa CIO Summit 2023

Enabling the Digital Economy's Leaders

In 2023, we are going further, together!
Join us for the 10th Edition.

The digital economy in Nigeria is rapidly growing, driven by increased internet and smartphone penetration. eCommerce, digital payments, fintech, content creation, and streaming via OTT platforms are among the key areas of growth in the country.
Overview
The Nigerian government has also been promoting the development of the digital economy through initiatives such as the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy. However, numerous challenges remain, including inadequate infrastructure, low levels of digital literacy, and in some cases a lack of synergy in policy implementations across different tiers of government. Despite these challenges, the potential for growth in Nigeria's digital economy remains significant, as evidenced by the influx of investments from global players into the country's IT and connectivity space.

The IDC West Africa CIO Summit 2023 will bring together the region's foremost IT and telecom leaders, digital government pioneers, digital regulators and authorities, and industry thought leaders. Hosting West Africa's most prominent CIOs, the event will examine the current state of the digital economy, assess its ongoing impact on citizens, customers, employees, and operations, address the key challenges that need to be overcome, and outline proven best practices and strategies for driving future success.
Why Attend?
• Receive critical insights from leading industry experts
• Discover solutions to pressing business challenges
• Get hands on with the industry's latest innovations
• Interact with the brands and specialists on your short list
• Engage in workshop-based technology discussions
• Share knowledge and network with your peers
• Take part in a series of fun, exciting, and memorable activities

Key Topics

Impact of Sustainability on Technology Vendor

Application Modernization strategies

Effective Hybrid Cloud Deployment

Developing an AIOps strategy and practices

Full stack Observability

Leveraging Low Code / No Code platforms

Orchestrating Digital Infrastructure for hybrid environments

Charting a Data-driven digital strategy

Intelligent automation

Predictive analytics strategies

Zero Trust security approaches

Cybersecurity Policies & Regulations and Compliance

5G impact – network architectures, market strategies and use cases

IDC West Africa Advisory Council 2023

Prasanna Burri

Group CIO, Dangote Group

Olubukola Ajetunmobi

CIO, Providus Bank

Tobe L. Nnadozie

Divisional Head, Technology and Innovation, Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS)

Idris Musa

GM, Information Technology and Asset Integrity, Oando Plc

Funke Feyisitan Ladimeji

Executive Director, Coronation Merchant Bank and Chairperson of Association of Women Bankers of Nigeria (APWB) (Nigeria)

Olusanjo Shodimu

Chief Digital & Innovation Officer, AIICO Insurance

Wale Williams

CIO, Union Bank of Nigeria

Serge Yao

CIO, Flour Mills of Nigeria

Ruth Osaigbovo

Vice President & Head, IT, UAC of Nigeria Plc

JP Attueyi

CIO, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC)

Oluwaseun Solanke

CIO, Airtel Nigeria

Venue

Four Points by Sheraton Hotel
Plot 9/10 Block 2 Oniru Chieftaincy Estate, Victoria Island 021189, Lagos

Agenda

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Thursday June 22, 2023
8:30

Registration & Networking
9:30

IDC Welcome Address
9:35

Special Address
9:50

Felicitation
9:55

IDC Opening Keynote : Strategies for the CIO and Enterprise Innovation
10:25

Cultivating a Culture of Building: Igniting Innovation in Organizations

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win Coffee Mug Warmer Set)

10:45

Strategies to Strengthen Future CIO Influence

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win Coffee Mug Warmer Set)

11:05

Tea/Coffee & Networking Break
11:35

Talent Development & the Demand for New Skills: How to Structure Your Team Optimally
12:20

Overview:Data and Platform-Led Strategies for Realizing Digital Outcomes
12:22

Multi Cloud Transformation , Being Cloud Smart

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win RFID Gift Set)
12:37

Lunch & Networking
13:35

Overview: Cyber Protection for Today, and Tomorrow’s Threats: Dynamic Security Strategies to Minimize Risk

Start of Session Raffle- Air Fryer
13:40

The Fall of Colossus: Decentralizing Data for Scalable and Agile Enterprises

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win RFID Gift Set)

13:55

Cyber Immunity – The Key to Safe & Secure Digital Transformation

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win RFID Gift Set)

14:10

The Sweet Spot of Modern Enterprise Computing

Q&A (Ask Questions & Stand a Chance to Win RFID Gift Set)

14:25

CIO Panel: Sustainable Strategies & Technologies: Operationalization, Impact Measurability, Business Value Creation
15:05

Felicitation of Advisory Council
15:10

Summary and Close

Speakers

Jyoti Lalchandani

Group Vice President & Regional Managing Director (META), IDC

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi

Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency

Nnenna Irebisi

Strategic Government Engagement Lead, AWS

Said Rechchad

Telco Lead, Palo Alto Networks

Tobe L. Nnadozie

Divisional Head, Technology and Innovation, Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS)

Echezona Agubata

Head of IT Gorvenance and Strategy, Union Bank of Nigeria

Zechariah Akinpelu

CISO, Unity Bank

Oyedayo Otokiti

Head of ICT, Lagos Business School

Harrison Nnaji

CISO, First Bank of Nigeria

Jackson Ikiebe

Head of IT Operations & Governance, Sanlam Nigeria

Ruth Osaigbovo

Vice President & Head, IT, UAC of Nigeria Plc

Seun George

Senior Territory Manager for West Africa, VMware

JP Attueyi

CIO, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC)

Alexey Sidorov

Chief Data Evangelist, Denodo

Benjamin Okolie

Pre-Sales Manager West Africa, Kaspersky

George Agu

MD, ActivEdge Technologies

Adewale Salami

CTO, First Bank of Nigeria

David Dogeni

Chief Technology Officer, UAC Restaurants

Steve Uma

CIO and Head of Information Services and Technology, NSIA Insurance Limited

Ayodeji Makinde

Head IT, Pinnacle Oil & Gas

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Partners

Strategic Partner
Summit Partner
Summit Partner
Platinum Partner
Technology Focus Group Partner
Technology Focus Group Partner
Technology Focus Group Partner
Exhibit Partner
Exhibit Partner
Exhibit Partner
Associate Partner
Media Partner

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Knowledge Hub

Analyst Spotlight
A New Approach to Security in the Post-Pandemic World

Frank Dickson
Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC

As we enter 2023, we can finally, for the most part, put reactionary moves due to COVID-19 behind us as the disease moves from a pandemic to an endemic part of daily life. We have accepted that digital transformation moved at a feverish pace, transitioning our enterprises to digital first years before we anticipated. The possibilities of remote work gave way to the reality that hybrid work is here to stay. These are truths that we have accepted.

Analyst Spotlight
A New Approach to Security in the Post-Pandemic World

Frank Dickson
Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC

As we enter 2023, we can finally, for the most part, put reactionary moves due to COVID-19 behind us as the disease moves from a pandemic to an endemic part of daily life. We have accepted that digital transformation moved at a feverish pace, transitioning our enterprises to digital first years before we anticipated. The possibilities of remote work gave way to the reality that hybrid work is here to stay. These are truths that we have accepted.

The economic headwinds we are experiencing have re-energized a trend that was muted by the pandemic. The C-suite appreciates the value and importance of security both now and into the future. C-level executives are actively planning continued investments in security to ensure the viability of their enterprises. However, C-level executives are growing tired of the continually growing financial appetite of security and are looking to reduce spending when and where possible. They are demanding accountability for the spend; in essence, they are looking for secure outcomes that are measurable and meaningful.

The result of this security confluence is a migration of approaches. The breach detection mindset of the past is giving way to a view that positions security as a way of improving an organization's cyber-risk posture, a posture that is tightly coupled with the goals of the organization and decreasing business risk. In its 2023 Future of Trust FutureScape, IDC predicted that by 2025, 45% of CEOs, fatigued by security spending without predictable ROI, will demand security metrics and results measurement to assess and validate investments made in their security program.

The IDC West Africa CIO Summit 2023 will look to address security in this new reality. We will help guide you in working with the CEO and boards of directors as we transition to delivering secure outcomes and a trusted organization to our executive constituencies.

Analyst Spotlight
Thriving in the Digital-First Economy

Ranjit Rajan,
Vice President, Research (META), IDC

The pandemic-driven pivot to digital-first strategies by organizations across Africa continues well after the pandemic has subsided. Indeed, many leading organizations are now making the transition from enabling digital transformation to actually running a digital business.

Analyst Spotlight
Thriving in the Digital-First Economy

Ranjit Rajan,
Vice President, Research (META), IDC

The pandemic-driven pivot to digital-first strategies by organizations across the Middle East continues well after the pandemic has subsided. Indeed, many leading organizations are now making the transition from enabling digital transformation to actually running a digital business.

In line with this shift, they are increasingly focused on deriving a larger share of revenues from digital products, services, channels, and platforms, with 50% of the CIOs surveyed by IDC across the Middle East saying this is now a major priority for their organizations.

The same survey revealed that 70% of Middle East CIOs will be prioritizing the digitalization of operations (process automation, reengineering, and productivity improvements) over the next 12-18 months, while more than half will also be focused on delivering insights at scale across their organizations by building capabilities in data and enterprise intelligence.

The region will continue to face several headwinds throughout 2023, including volatile demand, high inflation, interest rate hikes, supply chain uncertainties, and currency fluctuations. In order to navigate these storms of disruption, organizations will need to invest in strengthening their digital resiliency so they are better positioned to not only survive but thrive in new market environments as conditions continue to change.

Giga/Mega projects that envision futuristic, highly digitalized cities and communities — such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia — will provide a blueprint for accelerated digitalization across the region in 2023 and beyond. Such projects will set the pace as they develop greenfield digital infrastructure and platforms, leveraging advanced technologies like AI/ML, IoT, edge, and 5G to create innovative tech-enabled use cases and customer experiences.

The rise of the digital economy and the emergence of digital-native firms in segments such as fintech, ecommerce, D2C (direct to consumer), aggrotech, and edtech, among others, have accelerated the disruption of supply chains in several industries, driving the development of new business models, digitally augmented customer experiences, and automated operations.

At the same time, governments across the Middle East have launched numerous strategies and policies to support the growth of the digital economy, with a focus on developing the infrastructure, innovation platforms, skills, and regulations required to support the expansion of digital businesses.

One such example is the UAE government's 'Digital Economy Strategy'. Launched in 2022, this initiative aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE's GDP from 9.7% to 19.4% over the next 10 years, and it is already bearing fruit.

Indeed, the number of digital companies operating in the country is expanding significantly, with the fintech, ecommerce, and D2C segments leading the charge. These companies are disrupting business models and value chains, driving incumbent players to develop new innovation models, engage in ecosystem partnerships, and launch or acquire digital spin-offs.

In order to thrive in this new world, a digital-first mindset is essential, coupled with a vision to build a data-driven organization that is ingrained with a culture of innovation. Leveraging cloud as a foundational platform, developing a data and intelligence plane powered by AI and advanced analytics, and enabling ubiquitous, consumption-based digital infrastructure will all become critical technology priorities.

Analyst Spotlight
Cloud Overspend and the Role of CloudOps and FinOps

Matt Eastwood,
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Research, IDC

Over the past few years, IDC has seen investments in cloud grow rapidly as enterprises build their digital footprints. In many cases, this growth has occurred without the proper governance necessary to ensure resources are optimized appropriately. And the impact on budgets has been significant, with cloud now representing 35-40% of a typical IT budget. Additionally, the typical enterprise is reporting that their cloud overspend can be upwards of 25-35% today. Customers are clearly struggling to understand how to best optimize cloud spend for architectural and business benefit while also allocating cloud costs to the correct team.

Analyst Spotlight
Cloud Overspend and the Role of CloudOps and FinOps

Matt Eastwood,
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Research, IDC

Over the past few years, IDC has seen investments in cloud grow rapidly as enterprises build their digital footprints. In many cases, this growth has occurred without the proper governance necessary to ensure resources are optimized appropriately. And the impact on budgets has been significant, with cloud now representing 35-40% of a typical IT budget. Additionally, the typical enterprise is reporting that their cloud overspend can be upwards of 25-35% today. Customers are clearly struggling to understand how to best optimize cloud spend for architectural and business benefit while also allocating cloud costs to the correct team.

One of the ways that enterprise IT customers are tackling this challenge is through the implementation of CloudOps and FinOps. CloudOps is the practice of optimizing and managing the use of cloud resources, while FinOps is the practice of managing financial aspects of cloud operations. Together, these practices allow customers to better understand their cloud usage and costs, and to identify areas where they can reduce expenses effectively.

For example, by using CloudOps tools, customers can monitor and adjust their usage of resources such as storage and computing to ensure they are only paying for what they need. Additionally, FinOps techniques such as forecasting and budgeting can help customers plan and control their spending, preventing unexpected or unnecessary cloud charges.

As a result of these efforts, many enterprise IT customers are seeing significant reductions in their cloud expenditures and can more effectively allocate their IT budgets to other areas of the business. This can mean the difference between a project being viable or not. It also allows these users to have a better understanding of what they pay for and predict future costs, which can help them avoid financial surprises and make more informed decisions. And as many organizations deal with financial headwinds in the market, the time to implement or augment internal CloudOps and FinOps functions is now.

Analyst Spotlight
The Three Core Pillars of Efficient Digital Infrastructure

Mark Walker,
Associate Vice President, IDC

Pandemic-induced transformation has enabled governments and enterprises across all industries to deliver their products and services through digital channels. The sheer pace of this transformation has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience worth living through. As we move forward into 2023, the digital world has become the norm for most industries and organizations.

Analyst Spotlight
The Three Core Pillars of Efficient Digital Infrastructure

Mark Walker,
Associate Vice President, IDC

Pandemic-induced transformation has enabled governments and enterprises across all industries to deliver their products and services through digital channels. The sheer pace of this transformation has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience worth living through. As we move forward into 2023, the digital world has become the norm for most industries and organizations. This requires them to constantly innovate and improve their digital offerings to meet changing customer expectations, making a digital-only approach the default strategy for many. Indeed, three out of five UAE organizations surveyed by IDC rank the need to digitalize their operations as their utmost digital priority.

The implementation of highly responsive, resilient, and agile infrastructure is the foundation for any digital-first/only organization. IDC defines this as digital infrastructure, and our Future of Digital Infrastructure Framework helps technology suppliers to position their infrastructure products and services. It also assists technology buyers in defining their road maps for infrastructure transformation, enabling them to attain their ultimate digital infrastructure goals.

The framework is built around three core pillars:

Cloud-Native Technologies: This refers to any modern network, compute, and storage infrastructure, as well as software solutions and technologies delivered at cloud scale and with cloud attributes. These technologies enable frictionless governance, data management and mobility, and security compliance for enterprise workloads across the edge, core, and cloud, thus proactively preparing enterprises to face the interconnected uncertainties of the new world order.

Autonomous Operations: This is a model that allows organizations to run their infrastructure services in a highly automated and self-sufficient manner. This enables more efficient and reliable operations, freeing up resources and enhancing the overall customer experience. To achieve the most advanced level of autonomous operations, organizations can use a combination of modern programmable infrastructure with an API-enabled automation control plane coupled with a suite of cloud-native tools such as full stack observability, intelligent monitoring, asset management, configuration management, application performance management, and end-user experience management. Such an API-driven control plane enables DevOps teams to increase their developer velocity. Additionally, the IT service management function can be enhanced by adopting a proactive approach using AIOps augmented with AI/ML models, helping to significantly reduce the time to detect, respond to, and resolve incidents.

Ubiquitous Consumption: This refers to the utilization of digital infrastructure building blocks based on business objectives, regardless of the location of consumption or the method of delivery. This can include the consumption of resources at the edge, core, or cloud, as well as whether they are shared or dedicated. Essentially, it is about being able to consume the necessary digital resources in a flexible and adaptable manner so that they can be used to achieve desired business outcomes.

The future of digital infrastructure is an exciting one, and it will be interesting to see how organizations continue to leverage these developments to drive their digital-only journeys.

Partner Spotlight
Logical Data Fabric and Data Mesh: Empowering Decentralized Data Management

Alexey Sidorov,
Chief Data Evangelist, Denodo

In the realm of data management, two concepts that have gained considerable attention are logical data fabric and data mesh. Both approaches offer innovative solutions to data integration, scalability, and accessibility challenges. Let us delve into the concepts of logical data fabric and data mesh and explore how they empower organizations to democratize data and achieve increased agility.

Partner Spotlight
Logical Data Fabric and Data Mesh: Empowering Decentralized Data Management

Logical Data Fabric A logical data fabric is an architectural framework that provides a unified and abstracted view of data across disparate sources and systems. It aims to create a logical layer that sits atop the existing data infrastructure. This layer enables seamless integration and access to data, regardless of its physical location or format. This abstraction allows organizations to overcome data silos and provides a consistent and coherent view of the data landscape. The key idea behind a logical data fabric is to provide a single point of access and control for data. This allows users to query, analyze, and extract insights without being limited by the underlying data sources. It integrates data from various systems, such as databases, data lakes, APIs, and cloud platforms, providing a unified interface for data consumption. By leveraging a logical data fabric, organizations can break down data silos, improve data discoverability, and simplify data integration processes. Data Mesh Data mesh, on the other hand, takes a decentralized approach to data management by shifting data ownership and governance to individual domain teams within an organization. In a data mesh architecture, domain teams are empowered to manage and control the data within their specific domains. They are responsible for defining data products, ensuring data quality, and providing data services to other teams. The core principles of data mesh include domain-oriented data ownership, self-serve data infrastructure, federated governance, and product thinking applied to data. This approach promotes data democratization and encourages collaboration and autonomy among teams. By distributing data ownership and expertise, data mesh enables organizations to scale their data capabilities, foster innovation, and respond quickly to changing business needs. Combining logical data fabric and data mesh can be an effective way to manage data. Data integration and abstraction provided by logical data fabrics allow organizations to have a unified view of their data. Data mesh, on the other hand, promotes decentralized data ownership and empowers domain teams to manage their data effectively. Together, these approaches enable data democratization, improve agility, and facilitate a culture of data-driven decision-making. In conclusion, logical data fabric and data mesh offer novel approaches to address the complexities of data management in modern organizations. By leveraging these concepts, organizations can break down data silos, improve data accessibility, and empower teams to make data-driven decisions. Embracing these approaches can lead to a more agile and democratized data ecosystem, ultimately driving innovation and competitive advantage.

Partner Spotlight
The Rise of the Robots: AI and the Future of Work

Zuko Mdwaba,
Area Vice President (Africa), Salesforce

It's a question that comes up more and more: Will the tasks that humans perform be replaced by AI and robots? We know that AI will have a significant impact on the global job market, though the extent to which remains in flux. Interestingly, surveys show that most of us think that these disruptive technologies are primarily going to affect someone else, someone with a skill set or an educational background that lends itself to repeatable work. This is a risky assumption on everyone's part and certainly not something that will only impact the anonymous "other".

Partner Spotlight
The Rise of the Robots: AI and the Future of Work

The robots aren’t coming — they’re already here. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, in fact. The age of AI needs to be seen as an opportunity for exploration into how we can humanize the future of work to complement and even enhance AI, automation, and productivity. Areas where AI could reign supreme Forget about robots on the assembly line as the typical agent of job displacement; AI has made advances in fields that many people never imagined were vulnerable to automation: ● Healthcare: Machine-learning algorithms can diagnose some types of cancer or perform common X-rays more accurately than human radiologists. ● Creative work: AI can compose music, write prose, and build video-game levels that are indistinguishable from human output. ● Coding: Low-code or no-code development platforms take the complexity out of coding. ● Analysis/pattern recognition: They are reporting real-time insights and predictions. ● Creating More AIs: Creating child AI applications that outperform human-created AIs. Future-proof your career For individuals to protect themselves from being replaced by AI and robots they need to understand that every job as it exists today can, in some way, be automated. But the good news is that human creativity and resolve are at an all-time premium. And it’s not limited to big "C" creatives. As AI drives down the price of goods and automated services, it also increases the value of human goods and human experiences. The best way to differentiate yourself is through your humanity and creativity, not your productivity. Accentuate the human labor involved in what you do or what you make or how you show up in any given moment to be present, aware, and ready to participate.

Partner Spotlight
Next-Gen Connectivity Technologies – Driving Increased Value for Organizations

Lynda Saint-Nwafor
Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have realized the critical importance of resilience, agility, and adaptability in navigating uncertain times. In terms of connectivity, CIOs are constantly seeking to reduce latency, ensure high reliability, and guarantee edge/remote accessibility.

Partner Spotlight
Next-Gen Connectivity Technologies – Driving Increased Value for Organizations

5G and software-defined WAN are two very important technologies with strong potential to address these objectives. Maximizing investments in these technologies will require significant collaboration with partners to develop and execute relevant use cases that seek to address specific company issues. The digitalization journey should be guided by a comprehensive strategy encompassing technology, people, processes, and organizational change management. This session will provide recommendations to technical leads pursuing digital, infrastructure, and operational excellence. It will highlight how leads can select the right partners, adopt proofs of concepts to investigate partner capabilities, implement network traffic prioritization mechanisms, and optimize network infrastructure and configurations.

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Senior Sales Manager, IDC South Africa

About IDC

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110 Countries

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 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology 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 media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com.