Intel Corporation has flagged off the Intel Developer Zone (IDZ) program in Nigeria to local developers at its just concluded Intel Developer Day Nigeria (IDDN) 2015, which took place at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The well attended event provided a platform for software developers to interact with Intel software experts and enjoy live training on how to use various Intel software tools on the Intel Developer Zone (IDZ) platform which supports Independent Software Vendors (ISV), app developers and maker communities with information and tools.
Welcoming participants to the event, Country Manager for Nigeria, of Intel Corporation, Olubunmi Ekundare said that Intel was trying to help local developers achieve their best. Ekundare added, “We want to create the right type of technology and also provide appropriate training to get the best out of this technology.”
Software and Services Lead, East Africa, Agatha Gikunda thereafter introduced Intel’s developer offerings to the participants, and offered them advice on how to monetize their software applications.
The event also saw the launch of the Intel Student Partnership Program which confers the status of on-campus ambassadors on the student partners and also help the budding developers acquire knowledge about Intel technologies.
According to Intel, the program would run in three Nigerian universities including, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt and the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
Speaking on the event, the Regional Director, South and Sub-Saharan Africa, Intel Corporation, Sven Beckmann said, “It is good to come to Nigeria and see how interested these young developers are in our programs, and we are open to partnering with them.
We want to see the next Einstein coming from Africa. Students need to be mentored and we want to help guide them, so that they can better tap into their innovative ideas.”
The event which also had Director of Innovation, Sub-Saharan Africa, Intel Corporation Hitendra Naik in attendance peaked with the pitch session where participants were asked to propose their software app ideas to a panel of Judges. 30- year old software engineer, Adetunji Adelakun, emerged as the first prize winner and was awarded with $5, 000 worth of marketing from Intel with his software idea; ‘Scantranx POS, an Android Cloud based POS system that supports multi-sale channels.’ The second place winner won a Samsung Galaxy Tab, while the third prize winner received encouraging remarks.
An elated Adelakun said, “I know I created a good solution and I put in a lot of hard work. I am happy that Intel recognized my potential and even decided to invest in my idea with $5, 000, which is a good beginning that will help me scale my business.”
Intel Developer Zone is expected to offer Nigerian developers a place in the ecosystem of global technologies, tools, developers and partners. It will also offer Nigerian developers the opportunity to explore Intel’s cross-platform productivity suites for creating applications targeting Android and Microsoft Windows devices with native performance and exposure to unique platform capabilities.
