Over 5,000 children between ages nine and 15 met in Lagos recently at the mPulse Planet to imbibe knowledge required for future of work and creativity.
The summer event presented an opportunity to introduce Nigerian youths to the future by stimulating their minds and intellect using the latest technology for work and play.
The event with the theme ‘Nigeria, the Future in 2044’ hosted by MTN Nigeria featured various indoor, outdoor and video games, as well as a ‘Tech Town’ with sections for driverless cars, AR game, product design, world of robotics, VR/AR technology, among others.
Mazan Mroue, chief operating officer, MTN Nigeria, observes that one year after creating the mPulse platform it helps to expose millions of teenagers to the latest technologies and education materials that will help shape the world in 2044 and beyond.
Children are at the age where they are yet to decide about their future careers so it is important to expose them to the maximum number of technologies and platforms through MTN, where they take decisions on how they want to be in future, says Mroue.
Mroue further opines that the teens are already exposed to technology and are already connected.
According to him, “We need to give them attention and extra offers that will make life easier and enable them to make the right choice when they grow up and enter the university. And meeting them early is an opportunity for us and the country on how we can train our people to take the right decision”.
In 2018, MTN Nigeria launched the exciting proposition, mPulse to equip with the resources they need to maximise their potential and be all they want to be.
The mPulse package comes with a voice plan and a fun, educative website, which hosts a wide variety of courses and study aids to help children from primary one to senior secondary three excel. The portal also provides a bouquet of single and multiplayer games, as well as life skills videos. From computer programming, fashion design, medicine and blogging to engineering, writing, data science and motivational speaking, among others, there is something for every interest.
“All Nigerian children ages nine -14, irrespective of where they are; they are also allowed to access the platform online and leverage all the freebies and all the offers available for them. Today is just a physical interaction with all those different platforms. However there is a plan to replicate the same and extend it nationwide”, Mroue said.
Oluwole Rawa, general manager, consumer marketing, MTN Nigeria, says with the mPulse platform comes with different contents about children doing new things successfully, which are things we don’t get from our kids because we are so focused on education, which is good, but games and entrepreneurship are things that you can do.
Rawa pointed out that the telecommunication company’s decision to put together the second edition of the physical event in Lagos is geared towards ensuring children see some of the future technologies and feel them.
To him, “Some children have never experienced things like product development, where they develop things with 3D and print them out for them to see physically; robotics, AR/VR. Some children have never experienced these apart from what they see on the internet, so we bring those things to life. It is a day of fun for the children. Even those that are not very tech-inclined, there is a whole lot for them to do”.
Rawa said this year’s event was expanded because of the feedback and level of participation last year, adding that 5,000 people registered one week. So there is a possibility of further expanding it.
KELECHI EWUZIE
