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The Omniverse is an intriguing name. What does it mean?
The Omniverse is a concept that consists of everything from Multiverses to Metaverses. It is the largest existing concept in the technological world that includes all elements of Multiverses and Metaverses. In our context however we see The Omniverse as a platform, as a community, as an aggregator where we gather the digital economy led by tech, startups, academia, regulators, government, media, AI, creative and cultural industries and all tech enabled sectors of the economy.
What exactly is The Omniverse all about?
How will it revolutionalise how we do things and what or how do people stand to benefit from it?
A lot of great things are happening on the continent, but it seems that these are happening in silos and the strength or potency is not well utilized. With the Omniverse, we will create a fusion-like energy by harnessing all the relative advantages at the intersection of digital technologies including the arts, education, business, innovation amongst others to build a solid community redesigning the continent and helping it take its rightful place.
We also want to have our IP, our creative and innovation sectors build platforms with our techpreneurs. In this way we can provide more options for our people and deliver solutions.
The benefits include networking, access, knowledge sharing, the energy that comes from co-creation and the learning that comes from participating.
How did you come about this fascinating and novel concept?
The Omniverse was originally ideated by Obi Asika but brought to life with collaborators who are all part of the family, it is a journey not a destination and we are just beginning.
The Omniverse is for everyone interested in positive actions, collaborations and engagement, together we can achieve more, and we know Africa and Nigeria need to collaborate for development and tech can enable us to scale solutions faster. Charles Emembolu has been a phenomenal partner and co-convener and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together as we seek to pull off this very special summit featuring the great and the good across these various connected ecosystems.
Who are your partners? Is it a government backed project or a purely private sector venture?
The Omniverse is an aggregation of ecosystem partners across the private and public sectors locally and internationally.
The Omniverse is co-founded by the Innovation Support Network which is a national network of 180+ digital innovation organizations across Nigeria. The Digital Transformation Centre Nigeria (DTC Nigeria) is a founding partner of The Omniverse. The DTC Nigeria is a flagship project of the GIZ co funded by the European Union.
Word has it that it’s somehow AI related, or AI enabled? It’s projected that the world will witness exponential growth in AI this year and the way we do things will change forever. What do you think?
AI is likely going to be the most important technology we have seen. The world has seen the industrial age, the dot com bubble and post industrial age and now, AI is redefining how we do things. The O mniverse is going to position itself as a key leader in conversations, policies and adaptation of AI on the continent and hopefully provide resources and platforms to the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators who will leverage AI.
The Nigerian economy is in a bad shape. People want to see things that can improve their economic situation and that of the country generally. What are the potential economic benefits of The Omniverse?
The potential economic benefits of collaboration and alignment will lead to connected markets, deep knowledge being shared and of course can lead to startups getting funded.
These tech enabled sectors from fintech to payments, from education to services, from crypto to blockchain, all of these sectors are key, and Nigeria has to have a clear agenda about how to drive and nurture innovation and the Omniverse and ISN Hubs are focused on collaboration and convergence that connects academia to industry, and that enables growth.
Certainly, there has never been anything like this in Nigeria. Would one be correct in assuming that it’s the first of its kind in Africa?
Yes. It will be the first of its kind in intentionally aggregating aggregators, platforms and leaders around the sole agenda of economic development driven by tech and how it affects multiple industries.
Can people outside of Nigeria benefit from The Omniverse too?
Definitely. Registration and attendance is open to everyone across the continent and globe. For those unable to attend in person, we will livestream mainstage sessions and as we are building a community not a summit then we are always on. You can come to The Omniverse for information, data, insights, connections and for networking.
You are set to launch in a few days. Why a four-day summit?
Each day is dedicated to a different theme and purpose. From narratives day to monetization day, we expect to generate deep insights that will serve the community we are building as we build the new rails for this nation and the continent. We are bringing together many sectors and know that each deserve their own space and time to communicate and to connect.
Tell us about the interest that The Omniverse has generated so far?
So far, our team is having to work overtime to accommodate the interest we are receiving from potential sponsors, partners and participants. As we finalize, we will announce them across our channels and media, and we ask everyone to follow our handles on social media and to come to the summit. For us, the key is to build positive connections that can enable people at work, at play, in academia, in govt and in the private sector.
Tell us, is this the year of Africa?
This is Africa’s time. Not just 2024 but this century. We have to get the building blocks right and this is why Omniverse has come to stay. The Omniverse is about building forward together, about breaking down silos and enabling collaboration. We are converging multiple ecosystems led by the tech and start up ecosystems, the funders, academia, the cultural and creative industries, gaming, AR and VR. We are bridging the gap and looking at all sectors as being tech enabled.
What is the Omniverse’s view on Academia and Education:
We are deeply focused on this issue, we know that the tech ecosystem has been disconnected from academia and we don’t seem to have innovation finding a home on campus.
To address this, we have partnered with the CVC (Committee of vice chancellors) which oversees over 600 tertiary institutions and we have 10 professors and heads of ICT from across Nigerian universities participating in panels, workshops and roundtable discussions. We are also launching our career center at the summit which will be an available resource to community members post the summit. For the nation to thrive, we need innovation and creativity to be fully resident in all our campuses and this is an Omniverse core agenda.
Isioma Udeozo – Operations Director – The Omniverse Africa
___________________________________ Isioma is an accomplished business leader, with over 15 years’ experience spanning across the Technology, Retail and Banking sectors, working for blue-chip global organisations in West and Central Africa and the UK. Her core competence lies in helping organisations establish and cultivate relationships with executives and key business stakeholders, building opportunities, new business and sustainable partnerships that drive mutual top-line growth. Isioma is currently the Operations Director at The Omniverse Africa. She had previously held leadership positions at Impact Hub Lagos, Cisco Systems, MTN Nigeria Communications and Food Concepts PLC with demonstrated successes in high-level Strategy, Business Development, Partner Management, Cross-border B2B sales and Client Acquisition. Passionate about positive impact, Isioma is constantly looking for opportunities to serve and currently volunteers with several organisations that promote socio-economic development, SME development, Youth Empowerment, Women in Technology, Girls in STEM and supports various charitable causes. In line with this, she is the current Deputy Director General of the Delta Economic Summit Group, Advisory Board member at 4YouthbyYouth, Board Member – Circular Business Platform. Isioma holds a Bsc in Psyschology from the University of Lagos, an MBA from Newcastle University and is an Alumna of the Wharton Business School. Social Media Handles: Twitter: Tweets by OmniverseAfrica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omniverseafrica/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/OmniverseAfrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/101130679
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.