Hosting Tech Turks for the past few months has been an amazing experience. I got to meet some incredibly driven, passionate people who are working hard to find real solutions to issues in Nigeria. As we complete 50 episodes on Tech Turks, I would like to share some insights and possible future trends from my rendezvous with the amazing Tech Turks.
Here are 5 future tech trends from 50 tech turks:
Digital Liquidity: Going cashless is the way forward. With convenience and easy transactions at the core, quick payments online will become more ubiquitous. Banks and merchants will be more aligned to ensure seamless and successful transactions to support a digital economy. With startups such as Paystack, Flutterwave and Vanso (now acquired by Interswitch) leading the game, virtualisation of payments is fast becoming a norm. They are focussed on providing real solutions to problems related to funds, payments for the existing SMEs and growing businesses thus ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to grow and thrive. I reckon that a day will come when we would just use biometrics to make payments happen. As our Tech Turk Denis O’Brien from Vanso mentioned that as Nigeria has no legacy infrastructure, leapfrogging becomes all the more easier. I cannot agree more!
Better Healthcare: Healthcare around the world is witnessing rapid growth as more priority and money is being pumped into research and development. With digitisation in healthcare already taking place, it is going to be one of the leading industries in the future. It makes me happy to mention that there are some visionary Tech Turks who believe in coming up with innovative ways to provide better medical solutions in Nigeria. Kangpe, a startup in Nigeria, is connecting over 750 doctors from around the world to patients in Nigeria who can now consult with through its app. And LifeBank is working hard to save lives by providing blood to those in need. These Tech Turks are driven towards making every Nigerian’s life better by building trust, transparency, legitimacy and providing efficient systems that work, thanks to technology.
E-commerce and Logistics: E-commerce and logistics go hand in hand. Yudala (now Konga) with their presence in both online and physical stores sell millions of products and have made shopping so much easier for Nigerians. Efficient logistics and faster delivery are aiding e-commerce to develop further. Owing to their local knowledge, GIG group provides convenient and efficient transport and logistics thats ensures faster and successful delivery. With Nigeria being the fastest growing economy in Africa, this sector is sure to grow leaps and bounds.
Robots are taking over: Yes, its true. AI has come to Nigeria. AI has its benefits – its efficient, less prone to (human) errors, faster, keeps information safe and in some cases, inexpensive to use. Its a problem solver and Nigeria could do well with the use of this technology. Kudi AI, a startup co-founded by Adeyinka Adele is all about artificial intelligence. It performs financial transactions through a chatbot called KUDI. Diamond Bank’s very own AI enabled relationship manager ADA is capable of quick and effortless financial transactions. This is surely the next step, ahead of apps and sites to make payments happen.
Bank on her: Women are trendsetters, of today and surely tomorrow. I strongly believe in their enterprising potential, their ability to take on responsibility, their keen sense of understanding, empathy and go-getter attitude. Farmcrowdy, a startup thats all about solving problems in the field of agriculture and farming also puts in a lot of emphasises on empowering women farmers. Onyeka Akumah, the CEO and Co-founder of Farmcrowdy stresses on the fact that women are much more resilient, better planners and more organised. Tech Turks featured Ola Orekunrin Brown of Flying Doctors who is dedicated to provide infrastructure for medical evacuation in times of emergency.
When I started Tech Turks two years ago, we were unsure about the number of entrepreneurs out there, but now we know better!
Thank you so much. This is too inspiring.