covid-19 proves 4th Industrial Revolution is upon us – Chijioke Eke, Sidmach Technologies MD

The Coronavius pandemic (COVID-19) has shifted global focus to the technology sector as most activities are now being carried out via technological platforms; most business meetings and transactions are now done through conference telephony and virtual meetings.

This further proves that the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is upon us, says the Managing Director of Sidmach Technologies, Mr. Chijioke Eke.

Mr. Eke made the remarks at the Titan of Tech Conference & Exhibition 2020 organised by TechTV Networks in collaboration with TechEconomy.ng, stressing that the Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be one of the fiercest crisis the world has had to deal with in recent times.

“It is one which has placed the global economy on a standstill and has affected virtually every industry, including the technology industry.

“The biggest takeaway from the pandemic is that: Everyone must be ready for change – both systemic and endemic.

“The pandemic has shifted global focus to the technology sector as most activities are now being carried out via technological platforms; most business meetings and transactions are now done through conference telephony and virtual meetings. This further proves that the 4th Industrial Revolution is upon us.

“It has shifted focus to technological development, e-commerce, search engines, and online marketing as the pandemic has isolated people from their businesses.

“Thus, telecommunications industries have thrived as a result of the isolation situation, which now brings the world to the realization that technological advancement to the industry is what would give businesses the upper hand in maximizing the global pandemic for their benefits.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Sidmach is a leading provider of world class solutions which has helped boost productivity, collaboration and creativity for Schools, Teachers, and other businesses.

Recently, the company proactively launched a learning management solution called LUMINATE, developed specifically to help schools navigate through the pandemic by taking learning and classroom activities online.

Mr. Eke said that the solution was developed for schools and learners across all levels – from nursery to primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

“As of now, we have more than a hundred schools already registered on the platform, running their school online.

“Also, we have BIZKIT, a simple and handy tool offering a complete business management solution for SMEs allowing them to manage the most critical components of their business – accounting, invoicing, payroll as well as inventory; all managed at the click of buttons in one single environment!”, he said.

Speaking further at the event which host Nigeria@60 ICT Hall of Fame Awards, he said although the industry still has rooms for improvements, however, “we cannot deny that some efforts has been made by the administration in supporting the ICT sector as part of reforms to aid and accelerate national development most notably led by our able Minister for Communications and Digital Economy”.

“For the first time in our history as a country, we are able to launch our own Unity Board, a novel technological piece that is able to encapsulate the next step in Nigeria’s technological advancement timeline.

“The present administration led by President Buhari has done fairly well in the area of ICT as it concerns national development but we cannot rest on our oars; a lot more needs to be done to make sure the ICT industry gets to the desired level of growth that we all envisage”, he added.

Highpoint of the event was the recognition of pioneers, innovators and advocates in the Nigerian telecoms and ICT industry and the unveiling of Nigeria@60 documentary.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Partner at TechTV Network, Don Pedro Aganbi said that the story of the growth of Nigeria’s ICT sector is the ‘story of people’. “These are people who saw the potential; people who invested and many more who worked tirelessly for years to see the growth and success of the industry.”

“These leaders”, he continued, “inspired morale, accepted responsibility and pushed the frontiers. They are the pillar behind the success stories. So, we deemed it wise to celebrate them on the occasion of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary”.