'Tech investors must look beyond innovation for sustainable growth' -

Investors in technology business in Africa must look beyond innovation for sustainable growth, according to Biola Ojo, managing partner, People Capacity Management (PCM).

Ojo said the African tech industry has grown considerably in the last two decades, with an identifiable surge in innovation and investment, noting, however, that there were concerns about the sustainability of the current business models deployed by tech entrepreneurs.

She said this has necessitated the need to focus attention not only on innovations but also sustainability, stating that this gap observed by industry stakeholders has fuelled PCM’s resolve to organise the forthcoming tech conference aimed at Rethinking the Sustainability of the African Tech Business Model.

Ojo said this forms part of the fifth anniversary of PCM, which will bring together tech industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to discuss the challenges facing the African tech industry and explore new ways to build sustainable business models.

The maiden edition of Africa TechEnt conference themed, “Rethinking the sustainability of the African tech business model, will take place on May 26, 2023 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speakers will include Olatubosun Alake, special adviser on innovation and tech, Lagos State; Babatunde Obrimah, chief operating officer, Fintech Association of Nigeria; Hanu Fejiro Agbodje, founder and chief executive officer of Patricia Technologies; Atinuke Idowu, chief operating officer; Termii and Kelechi Ekugo, senior country director, US-Nigeria Council (USNC).

Modestus Aneasoronye

Modestus Anaesoronye is a leading Nigerian financial journalist with over two decades of experience reporting on the insurance and pension sectors across Nigeria and West Africa. He has held key editorial positions at major national media outlets, including The Comet, The Nation, and Financial Standard, and currently serves as a Senior Financial Analyst at BusinessDay Media Ltd. A widely travelled reporter, he has covered industry developments in more than 14 countries across Africa and Asia. Anaesoronye is a multiple award-winning journalist, honoured several times as Insurance Journalist of the Year and Pension Journalist of the Year by recognised industry bodies, including PensionScope and the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), among others.