IFest Launches New Platform To Curate Talents In Africa

A pan-African platform, Innovation Festival (IFest), has been launched in Nigeria as an empowerment vehicle to harness talents that will advance the course of humanity and address the societal problems and challenges facing Africa in some critical sectors.

IFest, in its inaugural edition, themed “Exploring the possibilities of innovation,” powered by Maxxconnection, an experience marketing company., was launched was on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, at the Radisson Blu, Ikeja, to the acclaim of the media, government officials, corporate organisations and other stakeholders across Africa.

Speaking on the challenges plaguing Africa, the chairman of IFest, Prince Dapo Adelegan, stated that, for long, Africa has been struggling with major societal issues, ranging from insecurity, power, health unemployment, food scarcity, etc. Government institutions and organisations have been taking steps in addressing these issues by organising conferences, seminars, summits and meetings without major action in proffering solutions.

On the other hand, he said, technology events, summits and hubs have also been created in IT and financial services, yet none of these has been able to address the challenges, as technology only serves as a driver.

Introducing the platform to the media, Adelegan said, “IFest is an empowerment platform created to showcase and incubate African talents/ideas and to harness those talents to full potential while solving our societal issues.

“Africans are talented and it is evident in the way and manner African youths have been able to advance the course in other western countries. Young talented Africans are all over without necessary support, exposure and capacity-building to unbundle their hidden talent,” he said.

According to him, IFest as a platform would encourage and collate great innovative works from young Africans, especially in key areas that would assist to drive the continent out of poverty, and create jobs opportunities for millions of Nigerians/Africans through the convergence of all stakeholders, government, venture capitalists, businesses and innovators, and implementing some of the great ideas discovered.

At IFest, the executive director of the Innovation Festival, Mr. Owolabi Mustapha, said: “We recognise that the possibilities of the human imagination are infinite and the only way to get to our desired utopia is to unleash the latest innovative potential innate in all of us.

“We are creating a platform that brings together all stakeholders to explore the possibilities of innovation.”

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Mr. Tunji Bello, represented by Mrs. Aroya Temilade, said Lagos State was excited to be part of the project.

According to her, “IFest could not have come at a better time as Lagos is moving in the same direction of innovation. The mega city project requires innovative ideas to achieve it. Therefore, we are very excited to be part of this project.”

Some of the key takeaways from the IFest will be to educate and showcase to all stakeholders what innovation really is, harness the potential of the innovation to address important societal issues such as unemployment, insecurity and power and to open doors of opportunity by giving innovators a platform to showcase their innovation to different investors who will help bring crafts to life.

Apart from providing opportunities for budding innovators in the areas of business and trade, IFest also has potential to throw up fun memory and entertaining collaterals such as networking opportunity, sales and exhibition opportunity and entertainment.