In the city of Warri, Delta state of Nigeria, there is a saying that goes “Warri nor dey carry last, if e hard well well na draw”. This translates to “Warri is never behind in the scheme of things (events)”.
Not oblivious to the fact that technology is changing the course of events across cities, nations, and the world, a group of tech enthusiasts (code named Warri Tech Network), led by Paul Okoro, organized the Warri Tech Awareness week 2018, #wataw18.
The Warri Tech Network is driven by the cardinal goals of:
- Developing a vibrant tech ecosystem in the city.
2. Exposing the technological solutions from Warri to the world.
3. Inspiring the youths in Warri to make career choices in tech, like becoming software developers.
4. Encouraging the adoption of technology in the city and the state through collaborations with the Delta state government.
Armed with these goals, they embarked on a week-long awareness campaign. The campaign, which began on January 29, 2018, came to a climax on February 3, 2018 with a summit — The Warri Tech Event.
During the course of the week, the team organized sensitization campaigns like paying visits to a radio station, some business owners, and an interactive session with college students of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta state.
Saturday, February 3, 2018 — the Warri Tech Awareness event
A tech awareness event with an attendance of over 50 persons cut across college students, software developers, and a representation from the Delta state government was exciting and inspiring.
It was especially inspiring to have a representative of the commissioner for science and technology deliver the keynote address.
The panel session on Creating a Tech-Enabling Environment in Warri gives credence to the fact that there are seasoned professionals in every city. For instance, I got to meet one of the panelists, Omawumi Eyekpimi, an Android developer and writer based in Warri.
Key Takeaways
- Setting up a tech community requires just a few passionate individuals who are willing to contribute their time and resources. And the rest will be history.
- People are in search of knowledge and direction. If you have that knowledge, you can help them see further by allowing them to stand on your shoulders.
- It turned out that Warri has some amazing software developers. I had an awesome time listening to them talk about their solutions during the technological product exhibition.
Learning to code is one of the major steps you’d take when switching into a career in technology. A vibrant tech community can help accelerate your growth. You can sign up with freeCodeCamp and start the journey to becoming a web developer.
You can join the freeCodeCamp Warri study group. I created this group some time ago, and I look forward to having coffee with campers who are in Warri.
Follow the twitter handle of Warri Tech Network and be a part of the birthing of a tech ecosystem in Warri. You can also reach out to Paul Okoro and Omawumi Eyekpimi.
Here is a link to the photos from the event.