Ms Catriona Laing, UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, says new Country Director of its UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Ms Adaeze Sokan will bring her experiences to bear on the job.
The British high commissioner made this known in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.
The new country director was introduced to guests on Monday.
Laing said: “The Deputy High Commission welcomes you and we hope your wealth of experience will help in building the Sustainable Digital Ecosystems in Nigeria.”
She said the UK placed development and adoption of digital inclusion at the very heart of its agenda as a global force for good, and recognised the power of the digital economy to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
”We are committed to help drive digital access across the country and support Nigeria to develop its digital economy by leveraging the role and expertise of the UK, in a number of areas.
“The UK plans to do this particularly through the three pillars of the global Digital Access Programme, which cuts across- Connectivity and Inclusion, Cybersecurity and Sustainable Digital Ecosystems, ” she said.
The new country director, said she was excited to join the team.
She said Nigeria’s digital sector was an increasingly important part of the economy.
Sokan said: “I am looking forward to deepening the ongoing work that supports more tech founders, especially women.
” We will continue to foster linkages between the UK and Nigeria, support the growth of high-end digital skills and strengthens partnerships with government and businesses to harness the potential of the UK and Nigeria tech ecosystem.
“I strongly believe that innovation driven start-ups are the most sustainable path for driving a strong digital economy. In turn that boosts sustainable and inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction in Nigeria, “she said.
The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sokan has over six years of experience working in the tech sector, before joining the UK- Nigeria Tech hub.
She was the Acting Executive Director of Ventures Platform Foundation, where she led the team in designing and implementing organisational strategic objectives for supporting start-ups.
Sokan has worked with different partners including the Office of the President and Vice President to provide advisory support and programme design.
She also worked with international partners such as the European Union, World Bank, US Embassy, USAID, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office as well as private sector partners such as ARM, Google, Microsoft and Facebook, interested in supporting and engaging the ecosystem.
Sokan also led the first delegation of start-up participants from Nigeria to SLUSH, Finland, one of Europe’s foremost accelerator and conference in 2016 and facilitated other inter-country initiatives.(NAN)
•PHOTO: Ms Catriona Laing and Ms Adaeze Sokan
