Interswitch is taking its TechConnect industry engagement series to four Nigerian cities as the payments company turns attention to the infrastructure needed to support an increasingly digital economy.
The sixth edition of TechConnect, themed “Built for What’s Next: Designing Adaptive Financial Infrastructure for a Dynamic Market,” begins in Owerri, Imo State, on September 24, before moving to Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos in October.
The programme is expected to bring together stakeholders from government, financial services, technology and business to discuss how financial systems can remain scalable, connected, secure and resilient as technology and customer expectations change.
TechConnect 6.0 begins in Owerri
The Owerri event will take place at Protea Hotel and will feature a keynote presentation, fireside chat, panel discussion, product demonstrations and networking sessions.
Justice Remigius Okoye, Executive Chairman of the Imo State Internal Revenue Service, is expected to deliver the keynote address.
His participation reflects the growing role of digital systems in public-sector revenue administration. The Imo State Internal Revenue Service has introduced electronic processes in areas including revenue notices and vehicle documentation.
The Owerri programme will examine how adaptable financial infrastructure can help institutions improve service delivery and expand participation in the digital economy.
Focus shifts to adaptive infrastructure
Tyoyila Aga, Vice President of Business Innovation and Growth at Interswitch, said organisations need to design technology with continuing market changes in mind.
According to Aga, changing customer expectations, business requirements and market conditions mean that the systems supporting businesses and institutions must be capable of evolving.
The company said the emphasis will be on infrastructure that is scalable, interoperable, secure and resilient.
That approach places the underlying systems connecting financial services at the centre of the discussion rather than focusing only on individual payment products.
Public-private partnerships take centre stage
One of the major sessions at the Owerri event will examine public-private partnerships and their role in digital transformation.
The panel, titled “Driving Digital Transformation Through Public-Private Partnerships,” will bring together representatives from financial services, government and technology.
Participants include Kalu Nnachi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zikora Microfinance Bank; Celestine Obiosa Uzor, Managing Director of Premise2Cloud ICT Solutions; Emmanuel Alozie of the Abia State Internal Revenue Service; and Aga of Interswitch.
The discussion is expected to address interoperability, cybersecurity, data protection and resilience as organisations seek to build digital systems that can operate reliably at scale.
Government, industry and talent
Another session will focus on the relationship between government policy, industry and skilled workers in developing Nigeria’s digital economy.
The fireside discussion, “Building a Digital Economy: The Role of Government, Industry and Talent in Shaping the Future,” will feature Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Nomso Ebonwu and Interswitch Chief Sales Officer Robinta Aluyi.
The session is designed to examine how government institutions, businesses and skilled professionals can contribute to a more connected digital economy.
Skills development is becoming increasingly important as financial services and other industries adopt artificial intelligence, automation, cloud technologies and other digital systems.
Beyond digital payments
The TechConnect programme also reflects a wider change in the way digital finance is being discussed in Nigeria.
Digital payments have expanded considerably, but the systems supporting those transactions must also handle interoperability, cybersecurity, data protection and operational resilience.
As businesses, government agencies and consumers rely more heavily on digital services, weaknesses in underlying infrastructure can affect more than individual transactions.
Interswitch has recently called for greater collaboration between fintech companies, commercial banks, infrastructure providers and regulators, arguing that financial innovation requires an ecosystem capable of supporting innovation while maintaining trust, compliance and resilience.
The company is also expected to demonstrate payment and digital commerce products during TechConnect 6.0.
Four-city programme
After the Owerri launch, TechConnect 6.0 will continue in Abuja and Ibadan before concluding in Lagos in October.
The Ibadan event is scheduled for October 22, while the Lagos finale is scheduled for October 27, according to current reporting.
Interswitch’s own recent public communications also confirm the four-city format, describing the programme as a regional industry engagement series for financial institutions, fintech companies and business decision-makers.
The regional structure is intended to allow stakeholders in different parts of Nigeria to discuss practical challenges affecting digital finance and exchange experiences around technology and infrastructure.
Building for changing markets
The central issue running through TechConnect 6.0 is how organisations can prepare financial infrastructure for continued technological and market changes.
New payment channels, digital government services and financial products can create new opportunities, but they also increase demands on the infrastructure connecting those services.
For financial institutions, fintech companies and public agencies, that means systems increasingly need to work across different platforms while maintaining security, reliability and the ability to scale.
TechConnect 6.0 will place those issues at the centre of its discussions as Interswitch takes the programme from Owerri to Abuja, Ibadan and Lagos.
The programme comes as Nigeria’s digital economy continues to expand, making the reliability and adaptability of financial infrastructure an increasingly important part of how businesses, institutions and consumers interact with digital services.
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