Venia Business Hub in conjunction with Access Bank will hold its second coworking conference on Thursday, the 26th of July 2018 with the theme, Coworking: The Catalyst for Innovation. Individuals billed to speak at the conference include Dr. Omobola Johnson, Partner at TLCom and former Honourable Minister of Communication Technology; Iyin Aboyeji of Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payment platform; Kola Aina, Chairman, Ventures Park, and Ola Brown of Greentree Investment Company.
Last year, the conference, the first ever in Nigeria, brought together a host of policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, the media and coworking space operators to unveil the opportunities and value chain of the rapidly booming industry. This year’s conference will assemble entrepreneurs, innovators, and policy drivers, to explore the trends, interesting innovations, and key partnerships causing the industry’s explosion and value creation across multiple sectors all over the world.
Coworking Conference 2018 is aimed at connecting the dots on how coworking, co-creation, collaboration and technology are spurring innovation, entrepreneurship, wealth and job creation while charting the course for a new economy and the future of work.
With an annual growth rate of 24.2 percent, coworking is an emerging phenomenon that is shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem globally with new coworking spaces popping up in most major cities. According to online platform, Coworker, it is predicted that by 2022, there will be over 30,432 coworking spaces with over 5.1 million coworking members.
In Africa alone, over 250 coworking spaces have sprung up just within a decade. Interestingly, 80 percent of these spaces were established in the last four years. Since its inception in Nigeria a few years ago, the coworking movement has continued to gain momentum, with a surge in the number of coworking spaces across the country, especially in the city of Lagos. The country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has seen a fundamental shift since the emergence of coworking and tech hubs, with many leading startups like Taxify, Flutterwave, Branch Int’l, and AutoGeni tracing the start of their journeys to coworking spaces.
“We are happy to see various stakeholders embracing coworking and leveraging on its possibilities to drive entrepreneurship. LagosInnovates is one such example of the response to coworking conference and we expect to see much more exciting collaborations and initiatives by various ecosystem enablers,” said Kola Oyeneyin, CEO, Venia Business Hub and Creator, Coworking Conference Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of Access Bank PLC., the official title sponsor of the conference Victor Etuokwu, the Executive Director of the Personal Banking Division, at Access Bank Plc. said, “Access Bank is recognised as a leading Bank in driving digital banking and fintech innovation in Africa. We seek to create new opportunities in emerging markets by providing a platform designed to inspire and challenge innovators and entrepreneur. As such, we have partnered with Coworking Conference Nigeria and leveraged on our global platform to further foster innovation, drive entrepreneurship as well as economic development.”
The conference is set to hold July 26th, 2018 at IMAX Filmhouse, Lekki, Lagos. Pre-qualified entrepreneurs, freelancers, service providers and investors can attend for free. Visit platform to register, get involved and secure a seat. And follow the conversation across social media via the conference’s handle, @Coworkingng and hashtag #CoworkAndBuild.
