MIT Presents Africa Innovate Conference 2016
Transformative Innovations for an inclusive future: MIT Sloan, Africa Business Club presents the Africa Innovate Conference, 2016, to be held at MIT Media Lab on 8th-9th April, 2016. Africa Innovate is an intimate showcase of the latest ideas and innovations in entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare, energy and education.
MIT is world renounced for its scientific and technological innovation. It boasts alumni including Buzz Aldrin, the former astronaut and the second person to walk on the Moon; Ben Bernanke, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States; and of course, Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. MIT pioneered technological advancements across all sectors, and is responsible for the creation of penicillin, magnetic core memory (which enabled the development of digital computers), 3D printing, and the electronic spreadsheet.
So when MIT tells us to expect a conference which will “ignite deep conversation and proffer possible solutions around how technological advancement is happening in energy, finance, education, agriculture and telecommunications”, one might be naïve to not take note!
On 8th and 9th April, MIT Sloan’s Africa Business Club will host Africa Innovate 2016, “Transformative Innovations for an Inclusive Future”. The belief underlying the conference is that technology and innovation are some of the most powerful tools to define the future of Africa – one that is hard to argue against.
Their keynote speakers are:
Mrs. Ibukun Awosika
Chairman, Board of Directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and most valuable banking brand. She is also the founder and CEO of The Chair Centre Group, involved in manufacturing, retail and bank-way security systems services.
She is a multiple award-winning entrepreneur and the first Nigerian recipient of the prestigious International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) Award as a nominee of the US Department of State in 2008.
Michae
l Joseph
Michael Joseph is the Director of Mobile Money at Vodafone Group Services Limited, and is responsible for leading the strategic growth and development of M-Pesa. Michael also serves as a non-executive Director on the Boards of Vodacom Group South Africa, Vodacom Tanzania, Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom DRC and Safaricom Limited. Previously, Michael was the founding CEO of Safaricom Limited, steering the company from a subscriber base of less than 18,000 in 2000 to over 17 million subscribers at his retirement in November 2010 making it the most successful company in East Africa.
Claude Gru
nitzky
Claude is a successful serial entrepreneur. He founded TRACE – the world’s first global urban music channel, which reaches more than 80 million people across 160 countries, having complete a multimillion-dollar financing deal led by Goldman Sachs Group. He is also the founder of TRUE Africa, a media tech platform, and TRUE a content marketing company. Claude has created groundbreaking international exhibitions in such major museums as MUSA in Vienna, written for such leading newspapers as The Guardian, Libération, NRC Handelsblad, and Globo, and co-produced a documentary for the BBC. Claude is the author of the book: “Transculturalism: How the World is Coming Together.” He is also an MIT Sloan Fellow.
For more information on the conference visit our Movemeback Events Page, or the MIT Africa website. And if you are attending, do look out for the Movemeback team. We look forward to meeting you!