Social Media Week Lagos 2018 has no doubt brought people “Closer.” It has been an immersive experience attendees, speakers, brand partners and sponsors. The 5-Day conference featured different events such as Music Day, Governance Day, Travel Africa Day, African Women in Tech amongst others.
Day One – The conference kicked-off with a conversation with John Momoh, Chairman, Channels TV on the Future of Broadcast Media. The focus of the discussion were trends in journalism. Momoh also noted the rise of fake news, saying, “Fake news is not news. For reliable and balanced news, people should look out for brands they can trust.” The AfricanNXT Annex also featured Artyrama in Conversation with Peju Alatise and the discussion highlighted the importance of collaboration in the art sector. “Social media immediately opens up your art to the world,” said Peju Alatise. As an artist incorporating social into your work helps to promote your craft globally.
Day Two – Destination Next: Making Lagos the Innovation Capital of Africa took over the Innovation Stage. Panelists shared their experience and talked about how to scale up the Lagos market globally. The session on Edtech: The Revolution Of Learning In Africa revealed crucial information about the EdTech industry, especially as statistics has proven that the number of EdTech businesses running in Nigeria is low compared to startups in other industries.
Day Three – Beat FM 99.9 Music Day brought together a pool of stakeholders in in the music and entertainment industry. The event opened with Paid In Full: Fixing Music Rights For Artist and the discourse was enlightening for artists, as they talked about intellectual property and how creatives can protect it and fully take advantage of products. In The Artist As A Brand … Defining Your Value, moderated by Maria Okanrende, outlined why it is imperative for artists to define what their brand stands for and determine how the vision will be achieved.
Day Four – SMWLagos in not complete with the Governance Day, which is an avenue for civil society organisations, as well as public and private organisations to interact with citizens on the application of digital media to different processes of governance. There was a live interview with Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. “Youth & Battling Violent Extremism Via Social Media” was hosted by The North Eastern Regional Initiative.
Day Five – On our last day African Women in Tech featured focused on women and female gender issues. Events such as Female African Powerhouses: Leveraging Social Media To Build Globally Recognised Brands, Bridging The Gender Digital Divide: Yali Leading The Way, and The Ultimate Women in Tech Collaboration: The Future is Collaboration highlighted why it is important for women to learn skills and have the vital tools necessary for them to thrive as disruptors. Tech collaboration among women has largely been underestimated but it is expedient for women to partner and support each in order to move forward.
That’s a wrap for #SMWLagos 2018. Stay in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and to look forward to updates for 2019.