Technology enthusiasts, developers, entrepreneurs, designers and enthusiasts converged in Ajah, Lagos, on November 19, 2022, for Google DevFest Ajah 2022, a community-driven technology event organised by Google Developer Groups (GDG) Ajah.
Held at the Lighthouse Event Centre in Ajah, the event was themed “Building the Future with Technology”, with a programme designed to expose participants to emerging technologies, career opportunities, product development and the wider possibilities within Africa’s growing digital ecosystem. The official GDG Ajah programme listed hundreds of registered participants and featured technical sessions, panel discussions,
Among the professionals featured in the event’s panel session were Kafayat Olatoke, Jeffrey Williams, Demola Malomo and Alumona Mona Faith, whose different areas of expertise provided participants with perspectives extending beyond software development into business, product design, fintech and technology entrepreneurship.
Diverse perspectives on building with technology
Kafayat Olatoke, identified as the CEO of Office Savvy Technologies, brought an entrepreneurial and technology leadership perspective to the panel. Her participation reflected the growing role of technology founders and business leaders in translating digital solutions into practical products and services.
As a technology company executive, Olatoke’s perspective was particularly relevant to discussions around building sustainable technology businesses, navigating the digital economy and creating solutions capable of responding to real-world needs.
Jeffrey Williams, identified at the event as a Fintech Expert, contributed a financial-technology perspective to the conversation. His role highlighted the increasing intersection between technology and financial services, particularly as digital platforms continue to transform how businesses and consumers interact with financial products.
The fintech sector has become one of the most prominent areas of technology development in Africa, making discussions around growth, innovation and the future of digital finance particularly relevant to young professionals and entrepreneurs.
Also featured was Demola Malomo, identified as a Product Designer and Software Engineer at Hackmamba. His participation brought together two important dimensions of technology development: engineering and product design.
The combination is increasingly important in modern product development, where successful digital platforms require not only functional software but also intuitive experiences that address the needs of their users. Malomo’s background therefore offered a perspective on the process of transforming ideas into usable technology products.
Alumona Mona Faith, identified as Business Development and Growth Lead, added a commercial and growth-oriented perspective to the panel. Her role represented another important side of the technology ecosystem: ensuring that innovative products and businesses can reach users, build sustainable markets and grow beyond the development stage.
Together, the panelists represented different stages and functions within the technology ecosystem from building products and managing technology companies to fintech innovation and business growth.
A broader programme beyond the panel
The panel discussion was only one part of the wider DevFest Ajah programme. The event featured speakers and sessions covering areas including machine learning operations, Web3 development, Google Crowdsource, industrial technology, web accessibility, containerisation, Kubernetes, frontend development, product design and networking.
The speaker lineup included professionals such as Shodipo Ayomide, Global Head of Developer Advocacy at Polygon Technology; Amarachi Iheanacho, a technical writer at Hackmamba; Idris Olubisi, founder of Web3Afrika; Ndifreke Friday, a software engineer at Andela; Uchechukwu Enem, Community Coordinator for Crowdsource by Google; and Gift Ojeabulu, co-founder and community lead at DataFestAfrica, among others.
The diversity of the programme reflected the broader objective of DevFest: creating an avenue where members of the technology community can learn from practitioners, discover emerging tools and technologies, and build professional connections.
Connecting young professionals with the technology ecosystem
For GDG Ajah, DevFest 2022 was also an opportunity to strengthen the local technology community. The event was structured around technical talks, career and idea-focused activities, networking and interactive discussions with established technology professionals.
The inclusion of professionals from digital technology advancement, software engineering, design, fintech, business development, Web3 and developer advocacy demonstrated that the technology industry extends well beyond coding. It also highlighted the variety of career paths available to people seeking opportunities within Africa’s digital economy.
With its theme of “Building the Future with Technology,” DevFest Ajah 2022 ultimately provided a platform for participants to engage with professionals working across different areas of the technology ecosystem while gaining insights into how innovation, entrepreneurship and digital skills could shape the future.
For panelists such as Kafayat Olatoke, Jeffrey Williams, Demola Malomo and Alumona Mona Faith, the gathering provided an opportunity to bring their respective professional perspectives into a wider conversation about technology, innovation and growth; reinforcing the importance of collaboration between technical, creative and business communities in building the next generation of African technology solutions.
This program change my prospective on technologies
Great panel deliberation from Ms. Olamide. Nice one👍
All the panel did an amazing job! It was a fantastic event. As usual Miss Olamide Olatoke showed up and showed out. Amazing Techie☺️
Great job
Ms. Kafayat Olatoke’s speech was truly on fire. Her insights deeply resonated with me and left me feeling inspired and motivated to take action.
Thank you for such an impactful and thought-provoking session. I’m excited to put the lessons and insights into practice and turn inspiration into action. 🙌
Here’s to continued learning, growth, innovation, and creating meaningful impact through technology!
I had a great experience at the event, it was a very impactful session with Kafayat Olatoke and am grateful for the deep insights. Thank you very much to all the panelists.
A remarkable gathering of tech leaders and innovators, fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and exciting conversations about the future of technology.