Two Nigerian technology start-ups, Paddy Cover and Pricepally, have emerged as winners of the Dubai World Trade Centre’s $200,000 Lagos talent show.
At the event, TruQ emerged as the EIC and Lagos State winner. The two winners are set to head on all-expense-paid trip to Dubai to pitch their idea to investors and technology ecosystem players at the GITEX 2022 exhibition for a chance to win $200,000.
In a statement, organisers of the event said the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition is an annual consumer computer and electronics trade show exhibition and conference that takes place in Dubai at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullahi, who was represented by Head of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr Aristotle Onumo, said, “As regards this particular program, the North Star is trying to take advantage of the program to expose our start-ups, while NITDA is partnering with GITEX.
“What is happening now will happen in Dubai, but the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Government are represented here today.
“They have come to Nigeria to be able to harness the innovative skills already within Nigeria to start early marketing of the two to be selected and connecting them with various investors across the globe so that even before they get to GITEX proper, they would have had a kind of visibility.”
The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Technology, Tumbosun Alake, added, “The initiative is to give opportunities to our ecosystem start-ups with better access to local and foreign markets.
“At the same time, Dubai and GITEX are keen to be part of the start-up ecosystem in Lagos.
“This initiative is for us to explore opportunities together, so the finalists will be participating in the North Star program in Dubai in October, and we hope they are able to get more international investors and access to the UAE market.”
