By Divine Sam
Zenith Bank is hosting the 4th edition of its annual tech startup pitch competition, called the Zenith Bank Tech Fair, which will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event, running from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, is themed “Future Forward 4.0: Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity, Growth Imperatives – The Impact of AI” and will feature key innovations in sectors like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Financial Intelligence.
The Zecathon competition, part of the fair, will showcase and identify innovative startups. In addition to the pitch competition, the event will include panel discussions, masterclasses, and exhibitions.
Notable speakers include:
- Jim Ovia, Founder & Chairman of Zenith Bank, delivering opening remarks
- Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, offering a welcome address
- His Excellency, Sen. Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, and His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu, Governor of Lagos State, who will provide goodwill messages.
The keynote address on Banking Transformation in a Digital World will be given by Robin Speculand, a renowned Strategy & Digital Implementation Specialist. Prominent IT experts such as Danillo McGarry, Jania Okwechime, and Rupert Nicolay will also share their insights.
A panel discussion will be moderated by Wole Odeyele of Microsoft, featuring speakers like:
- Ada Jabaru (Nistad Limited)
- Funke Opeke (MainOne)
- Guy Futi (Orda)
- Dr. Auwal Adam Sa’ad (ZamzamPay)
- Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi (NITDA)
- Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote (NIMC)
The event will also feature seven masterclasses, with facilitators from tech giants like Microsoft, Oracle, Google, IBM, Huawei, and Amazon Web Services.
To register or participate, visit www.zenithbank.com/techfair. The event will also be streamed live on Zoom and the bank’s social media pages.