Faces Of Anambra’s Top Four Techies 

The Anambra Tech eco-system has made significant inputs to the development of Human capital and brought unprecedented disruptions to the scope and scale of MSMEs. This has been made possible by the contributions of some unsung heroes, innovators and forward looking young persons taking up the arduous task of repositioning this generation and the next for the fast paced creative-destructions associated with the 4th and 5th industrial revolution. In no particular order we present the following turks;

1. Uchenna Onwuamaegbu Ugwu is the founder of  Edufun Technik STEM HUB, a strategic Need-Based Teaching & Learning-facilitating Organization, designing and deploying knowledge-Based disruptive innovative approaches to STEM: Focusing on developing children’s’ potential skill-sets and talents by providing quality hands-on-training on Computer-language Coding/Programming, Design-Thinking, and Robotics, to inspire young kids to become Great Thinkers, Problem-Solvers, Innovators and Tech Leaders while guiding them to make good career decision for positive community impact. 
Through her train-the-trainers program combined with educational workshops, after-school and in-class STEM Teaching-Learning activities, Uchenna has cumulatively taught over 1000 -STEM Classes since 2014 and have trained about 18,800 school students with over 60% being the Critical-Girl-Child as a means of closing the widening STEM-Gender Gap in our society. Uchenna is motivated to raise a generation of young people that are highly innovative with excellent scientific skills who will take up careers in science and have successful societal impact.
In 2017 the United States of America Government awarded her a Prestigious Fellowship Award called the Mandela Washington Fellow, for her outstanding performance in the educational system. In 2018 was selected among the best 200 Inaugural African LEADERS of the Obama Foundation, as an Obama fellow. She was later selected as top ten mentors of the African fellows as the Obama Mentors. 
In 2018 she mentored and led her team of young girls to the final stage of Technovation 2018 World Pitch Summit in Silicon Valley, California USA; where girls from around the world are exposed to learning and application of the skills they need to solve a community problem using technology.Her team SaveAsoul won a gold medal putting Nigeria in the world map of tech and innovation Gold Medalist, she was celebrated by the Vice President, which was published in national and international newspapers.
In 2018, she was selected among the best 200 Inaugural African LEADERS of the President Barack Obama Foundation.During her NYSC she won the States Award of the best serving corps member, for building the state-of-the-art guidance and counselling center for inmates at the Onitsha prisons.She is very innovative, and a change maker.
She has a B.Sc. degree in Psychology and Innovative Business, and Entrepreneurship Certificate from Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University Illinois USA and over seven (7) years’ experience in STEM Curriculum Development and Implementation of Gender-Enhancing STEM Education for Children/youths in a resource-limited/under-privileged communities in Nigeria.

2. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr  started his career as a sales specialist at Globacom in Lagos. Following this, he developed a passion for technology in relation to how it can affect productivity, business, life performance and the likes, putting his thoughts into writing.
His understanding of how technology affects individuals, organizations and the economy led him to start a Sunday column on the Punch Newspaper called ICT Clinic in 2013. In 2014, he began hosting an ICT radio show at Nigeria Info FM, until 2015, when he started a syndicated radio show called Tech On Wheels which ran in 4 cities (Akwa, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Umuahia) every Wednesdays.
Prior to his engagement with the print media, his understanding of technology saw him speak at many public events to individuals and organizations across West Africa on topics including technology, Internet Strategies, social media, Online Marketing, business strategy, entrepreneurship, motivation, Leadership, business strategy, marketing strategy, blogging etc.
In later years, he began speaking across the African continent and Europe. He began his TV career in 2014 as an anchor and co-producer of Tech Trends, a weekly Tech show on Channels Television designed to share the latest developments in the world of technology plus sharing cutting edge tools, as well as timely information that will help the viewers become tech-savvy to be able to use technology more productively. The is currently airing at various times each week.
In between this, he convened the CFA’s Startup Hangout, a strategic avenue for SME startups to meet and learn from successful entrepreneurs, through discourses that will assist them to grow their various startups as well as networking among one another. In 2018, he co-founded CreativeSpace, an innovative and tech-centric hub with the goal of actively participating and contributing to the growth and development of an equal, inclusive and sustainable Africa. The hub help entrepreneurs leverage technology and innovation to start and run their businesses.
In March 2019, 75 hubs across Nigeria came together to form an alliance to boost innovation and entrepreneurship. This network called the Innovation Support Network (ISN) has over 100 innovation and technology hubs across Nigeria.
In June 2019, he became the director of The Founder Institute Lagos, a training school that helps startups grow through entrepreneurship training by helping curb lack in structure, mentorship and network. The Founder Institute is the world’s premier pre-seed startup accelerator, with chapters across 180+ cities & Graduates that have built companies exceeding $20B in estimated value. Later in the same year, he was appointed as a Regional Director of the Institute for Africa and has seen over 100 startups berthed.
In January 2020, he became a founding partner of Pacer Ventures, a Toronto-based VC firm that invests in innovators who are solving the most critical problems on the African continent and increasing the rate of tech adoption at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. In the same year, he co-founded Techbuild.africa, an innovative media platform dedicated to providing information on startups, funding & events across the continent that would amplify the work young Africans are doing daily to build products and solutions that can transform the future.
In 2021, he co-founded Blockbuild.africa, another media platform solely focused on African innovative innovation on blockchain and crypto currency. He is a Director at Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), managers of .ng domain.

3. Daniel Dallas Okoye is an experienced technologist & statistician who over the years has led teams of developers and creatives in executing cutting edge projects in the technology, business, humanitarian, and financial sector. He is currently the Chief Information Officer at THE DGIT SOLUTIONS (www.thedgit.com).
A graduate of the prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University with a B.Sc. Honors in Statistics, and advanced training in Computer Science, Daniel is equipped with an immense wealth of knowledge and experience in web-mobile-desktop application development, Cyber security, Blockchain exploration, Data Analysis and User experience design.
As an active, passionate and a go-to expert in internet security and ethical hacking, along with Certification in Advanced Leadership & Management program from the Rotary International Institute, Evaston, USA, Daniel is currently leading the Information-Security team at FIMCAP in Belgium as the Lead Developer.
Daniel is skilled with a unique forte in identifying and nurturing innovative ideas and opportunities and has built, mentored, and advised lots of inventors, startups and early stage companies. He is collaborating & birthing one impactful initiative after another.

4. Pascal Okeke  is a Fullstack Software Engineer, Serial entrepreneur, and Angel Investor. He is passionate about using technology and innovation to solve everyday societal problems and ultimately create an enabling platform for the younger generations to thrive.
He is an impact-driven capitalist and believes that it is possible to do well and good at the same time. Pascal is a passionate advocate of the Igbo Apprenticeship System. And has been the Transgenerational business model Evangelist. He is the Founder of Startup Anambra. A Startup/Entrepreneurship ecosystem development project with a mission to accelerate, mentor, and empower Startups and young entrepreneurs who are leveraging innovative technologies to solve everyday problems from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria.
Prior to founding other brands and companies that made up the Bigcode Group, Pascal founded Bigcode Systems, a creative digital Agency. Bigcode Systems has created solutions in various sectors including education, Government, Finance as well as for both public and private sector organizations. Building various platforms that have provided services to hundreds of thousands of Africans.
The med-school dropout later studied Computer Sciences at the prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. Anambra State, Nigeria.
He is a member of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), British Computer Society (BCS), Internet Society of Nigeria (ISON), Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Computer Professionals of Nigeria (CPN) amongst many others. He is sitting at the board of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) and so many other Technology Startups.
While Pascal has recorded a number of successes as an Techie, he also has a number of failed projects/products under his belt which he believes were what moulded him to whom he is.
Due to this, Pascal is passionate about mentoring and advising young techies and Startups who are creating solutions for mass underserved -markets. This has put him on many stages where he has delivered speeches, lectures, and talks on technology, entrepreneurship, the role of young people in creating an innovative future, and various other topics.
He has received multiple awards and has been featured in various lists.

– Mazi Ejimofor Opara writes from Awka, Anambra State.