| Technology Times supports
CTO 2008, promises daily coverage of seminars and live demos
By Bisi Olaleye
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Technology Times has announced plans to support CTO2008
and to leverage technology for healthcare services in Nigeria.
Three years ago, the news provider on the Nigerian ICT sector
started a strategic alliance with the U.S. Commercial Service,
resulting in daily coverage of events at the CTO exhibitions
and seminars.
CTO2008 is the 18th edition of this annual trade event organised
by the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Consulate General
in Lagos.
CTO 2008, West Africa's largest technology trade event, is
billed to hold May 12-16, 2008 on the theme, "A World
Without Borders" at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos and
attracts US and local technology companies to showcase leading
edge technologies.
Under the alliance, Technology Times, which has been the official
daily newspaper of CTO since 2005, will publish a daily newspaper
that keeps track of news and developments at the event and
it will be given away free to attendees at show and beyond.
According to Senior Commercial Specialist, US, Commercial
Service, Anayo Agu, "the CTO exhibitions and seminars
are market development tools of the U.S. Commercial Service
in Nigeria. It is the largest exhibition of its kind in West
Africa where local companies, representing or working with
U.S. suppliers and manufacturers of computers, telecommunications
and office equipment showcase the very best of American technology,
equipment and services available in Nigeria for the sub-region.
The exhibition features an all-day, special-event seminar
on the first day and a four-day exhibition with private seminars,
workshops, product/service launching and demonstrations."
According to Agu, "we are pleased to forge ahead with
our partnership with Technology Times which has conceived
the CTO 2008 Live initiative to extend its promotional support
for the event by updating local and international audience
on developments at CTO 2008 through its print, online and
digital publications."
Under the CTO 2008 Live, Technology Times will in addition
to the free daily newspaper provide periodic daily updates
on its opt-in electronic news services delivered into the
inbox of over 50,000 subscribers of Technology Times eNews.
Managing Editor, Technology Times, Toyin Ogunseinde, says
the organisation's partnership with the US Commercial Service
on CTO, "is quite significant for us as we launched the
print edition of Technology Times at CTO 2005 when we also
set a major landmark in the Nigerian media industry where
the traditional growth path has often been from print to the
Web."
According to him, "in line with our vision to be the
leading provider of news and information on the Nigerian ICT
sector, we have maintained a reputation of credible news and
are also pleased to report that subscriber base of Technology
Times eNews crossed the 50,000 mark in December 2007 and we
anticipate that it will grow beyond 100,000 by mid-year."
Ogunseinde also confirmed that another new offering from the
company's stable, Technology Times Annual, a yearbook of the
Nigerian ICT sector chronicling developments that shaped the
industry in 2007 will also be presented at CTO 2008.
CTO 2008 will also focus on telemedicine, distance learning,
and on-line transactions. Other sub-themes include, cyber-crime,
e-governance, electronic tracking systems, e-ticketing, and
e-banking. Specifically, it is about trade and investment
opportunities offered by the triple-play of voice, data and
video technologies, products and services. CTO 2008 seminars
will feature local and international experts, particularly
those with professional experience in electronics transaction
and infrastructure development. The exhibition and seminars
are open to the public, but attendees younger than 18 years
are not permitted on the exhibit floor, except on May 14,
2008, reserved for youth empowerment programmes.
According to Agu, "CTO seminars help policy makers, industry
leaders and professionals see the future first. They provide
a unique platform for local and international experts to interact
on critical issues, especially those related to technology
diffusion, bilateral relations and market dynamics."
He adds that, "on September 27, 2003, Nigeria joined
the league of nations with satellites in space. The National
Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) began an earth
observation satellite project in 2000 following a collaborative
agreement with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited of the
United Kingdom. The success of the program emboldened the
agency to embark on the NIGCOMSAT-1, which was launched on
May 14, 2007. A strategic alliance with some U.S. firms has
resulted in NASRDA initiating a pilot project on telemedicine,
tele-education and video conferencing. These national ICT
infrastructure programs are coming on the heels of public-private
partnerships to build ICT centers in Nigerian universities
and polytechnics."
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