Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2026

A participant at a previous edition of Akwa Ibom Tech Week

What is Amedi

The frontier starts here.

Amedi is an Ibibio word for welcome: an invitation to come closer and see what is here.

And there is a lot to see. Founders are building. Engineers are experimenting. Businesses are scaling. New infrastructure is arriving. A generation of talent is choosing to build from home.

The question now is what comes next. Can what is built in Akwa Ibom compete in larger markets? Can local ideas become global companies? Can the state's talent, infrastructure and ambition become an engine for the next generation of industry?

That is the opportunity.

Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2026 brings together the people, capital, technology and institutions needed to explore what is possible, and to start building what comes next.

The frontier starts here.
Welcome to Akwa Ibom. Amedi.

Six days. Two cities. One frontier.

Across six days and two cities, AKTW 2026 turns that invitation into a programme of ideas, encounters, experiences and action.

Connect

Golf and Tech Mixer, an unhurried opening with senior guests.

Compete

The Innovation Challenge, students and startups judged in public.

Build

The Google Developers Festival, a day of hands-on sessions for developers.

Convene

Conference Day, keynotes, panels and roundtables at Four Points.

Celebrate

Cultural Night, Ibibio dance, masquerade and a shared meal to close Wednesday.

Explore

State tours across Akwa Ibom, hubs, industry and the coast.

Why Akwa Ibom

The assets were always here. The ecosystem is what changed.

Energy

504,000barrels a day, about a third of Nigeria's crude output and the largest of any state

Connectivity

Nigeria's onlysubsea cable landing outside Lagos, at Qua Iboe on the 2Africa system

Capacity

180 Tbpsdesign capacity on that cable, with metro fibre now reaching Uyo

Mobility

Africa's onlystate that owns and runs a commercial airline, now flying internationally

Talent

14+technology and innovation hubs, most of them within Uyo

Public investment

NGN 1.39trnstate budget for 2026, under the ARISE Agenda

Sources: Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, MainOne and Equinix, and the Akwa Ibom State 2026 budget.

Akwa Ibom already has what a technology destination needs: energy, connectivity, capacity and talent. What's left is connecting them.

That's the case for Akwa Ibom becoming Africa's next tech destination, not a title anyone can claim outright, but a position within reach if the assets above keep getting connected.

The 2026 frame

Intelligence. Infrastructure. Industry.

Three lenses shape the week, not three separate tracks.

Intelligence

What happens when Africa doesn't just use AI, but builds with it, owns it, and shapes what comes next?

Infrastructure

What does it take to build the digital, physical and institutional systems that make growth actually possible?

Industry

How do we turn ideas, talent and capital into companies, jobs and economic value that competes beyond our borders?

None of the three stands alone: infrastructure has to be in place before intelligence can scale, and industry is ultimately what pays for more of both.

This is how Scaling the Frontier plays out in practice: Intelligence is what we bring from home. Infrastructure is what lets it travel. Industry is what it becomes once it competes beyond our borders. Every session in the week sits under one of these three lenses.

The week

Six days across Akwa Ibom.

~~MON~~2 NOV

Golf and Tech Mixer

Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort: a high-level opening for investors, executives and ecosystem leaders.

Uyo

~~TUE~~3 NOV

Innovation Challenge and Pitch Finale

Ibom LED Centre: students and startups pitch for equity-free prizes, judged in public.

Uyo

~~WED~~4 NOV

Public Service Workshop, Career Fair and Cultural Night

Three venues: public sector workshops and a career fair by day, Ibibio dance and masquerade by night.

Uyo

~~THU~~5 NOV

Conference Day, Exhibition and Showcases

Four Points by Sheraton: keynotes, panels, roundtables and the exhibition floor, all under one roof.

Ikot Ekpene

~~FRI~~6 NOV

Ecosystem and State Tours

Hubs, industry and the coastline: a look at what's actually being built across the state.

Statewide

~~SAT~~7 NOV

Google Developers Festival, GDG Uyo

GDG Uyo: a full day for developers, hosted by the local Google Developer Group.

Uyo

The whole season

Six weeks. Then six days.

The season opens on 23 September, the anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State. Six weeks of national and diaspora programming run before anyone travels.

Buildup · 23 September to 28 October · virtual

23 SepLaunch broadcast, on the state creation anniversary

30 SepInnovation Challenge applicant clinics

7 OctDiaspora panel on building for global markets

14 OctMasterclasses on investment readiness

21 OctPublic service and employer briefings

28 OctFinalists announced and showcase previews

The week · 2 to 7 November · Uyo and Ikot Ekpene

2 NOVGolf and Tech Mixer

3 NOVInnovation Challenge and Pitch Finale

4 NOVPublic Service Workshop

5 NOVConference Day

6 NOVEcosystem and State Tours

7 NOVGoogle Developers Festival

Six weeks, virtualSix days, in the state

Since 2021

A week with a track record.

7,500+Attendees

90+Speakers

75+Sponsors and partners

40+Specialised sessions

35+Featured innovators

30+Exhibitors

Cumulative across the 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions, plus a dedicated Women in Technology Day hosted with the Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State.

Since 2021, Akwa Ibom Tech Week has grown from a local technology gathering into one of the state's biggest platforms for connecting talent, capital, government, industry and ideas, convening federal regulators, state legislators, unicorn founders, venture principals, development institutions and diaspora leaders.

Some of the people who have come to Akwa Ibom

2021Positioning Akwa Ibom youth for global success

2023Africa's new tech destination

2024Building a resilient innovation ecosystem

2025Catalysing digital transformation

2 to 7 NovemberUYO AND IKOT EKPENE

Innovation Challenge

Set the problem. We will find the teams.

Sectoral challenges run across the state with equity-free prizes, screened and judged on a platform we have operated since 2024. Founders keep their intellectual property.

Applications open on 1 September and close on 5 October. Finalists are announced on 15 October and pitch on 3 November.

Enter or sponsor a challenge

Attend

Come for the week. Choose your level of access.

Community Pass

Free

1 admission

For people who want to experience the conference and connect with the ecosystem.

Access to the conference
Registration is mandatory

Most chosen

Delegate Pass

NGN 80,000

1 admission

For people coming to participate more deeply, with the kit, lounges and meals covered.

Access to the conference and the conference kit
Restricted areas, lounges and roundtables
Buffet lunch
Welcome party
Ground logistics and airport transfers

VIP Pass

NGN 950,000

3 admissions, accommodation for 1

For senior guests who want accommodation, logistics and full delegate access sorted for them and their colleagues.

Everything in the Delegate Pass
Two nights accommodation at Four Points by Sheraton, Ikot Ekpene, 4 and 5 November
Two further delegate passes for colleagues
Ground logistics for all three

Ground logistics covers airport transfers, Conference Day shuttles between Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, and vehicles across the week, wherever you choose to stay.

Exhibit

Two real moments to put your booth in front of the week.

The Made in Akwa Ibom Marketplace runs on Tuesday in Uyo, alongside the Innovation Challenge and Pitch Finale, and a premium exhibition floor opens at Four Points by Sheraton on Conference Day.

NGN 500,0003m x 2m booth, two admissions

NGN 700,0003m x 3m booth, two admissions

Delegate access for your team, which adds the kit, the buffet lunch, the welcome party and ground logistics, is NGN 80,000 per person.

Book a booth Brochure

Partner

Put your organisation where the work is happening.

Tell us what you want the partnership to achieve: talent, visibility, a seat in a specific conversation, or something else entirely, and we'll build the activation around it. Five tiers, thirteen named activations and four routes that need no cash at all. Every partnership is agreed in writing before the season opens, and reported against that objective within eight weeks of the close.

Network

75+ sponsors and partners, and the founders, regulators and investors who sit alongside them.

Visibility

7,500+ attendees and 90+ speakers, across a programme built on five prior editions.

Innovation

35+ featured innovators to meet, screen, hire or invest in directly.

Reach

A statewide season across Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, plus six weeks of virtual programming before it.

Headline Partner

NGN 30,000,000

One position. The edition carries your name. Category exclusivity and the opening keynote.

Platinum Partner

NGN 20,000,000

Two positions. Sector exclusivity, a main stage keynote and a named day.

Gold Partner

NGN 10,000,000

Three positions. A Conference Day panel seat and a named activation on Career Day.

Silver Partner

NGN 5,000,000

Four positions. Exhibition and brand presence across the full season.

Community Partner

NGN 1,500,000

Open. Your own booth, four delegate admissions and a listing.

Bar length is proportional to the tier value.

Talk to us View the brochure One-page summary

Speak, cover, contribute

Have something to say to this room?

Conference Day, the Innovation Challenge and the season's virtual sessions all run on contributed content. If you have a talk, a panel, a story or an outlet, we want to hear from you.

Speakers

Pitch a talk for Conference Day or one of the buildup sessions.

Moderators

Chair a panel or roundtable across the week's tracks.

Media

Request a press pass to cover the week on the ground.

Content partners

Co-produce a session, a briefing or a piece of coverage.

Get in touch

90+ speakers across five editions

Questions

Before you register.

What is Akwa Ibom Tech Week?

An annual, in-person week of programming in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, built around the themes of intelligence, infrastructure and industry. It runs from 2 to 7 November 2026, after six weeks of virtual buildup programming.

Is it in person, virtual, or both?

Both. The season opens on 23 September with six weeks of virtual sessions, clinics, panels and masterclasses, before the in-person week runs 2 to 7 November across Uyo and Ikot Ekpene.

Do I need to register in advance?

Yes. Registration is mandatory even for the free Community Pass. Delegate and VIP passes are limited and sell out ahead of the week, so registering early is worth it.

What's the difference between the three passes?

The Community Pass is free and covers conference access. The Delegate Pass adds the conference kit, restricted areas, meals and ground logistics. The VIP Pass adds two nights' accommodation and two further delegate passes for colleagues.

How do I get around during the week?

Ground logistics for Delegate and VIP passholders covers airport transfers, Conference Day shuttles between Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, and vehicles across the week, wherever you choose to stay.

Can my organisation sponsor or exhibit?

Yes, either through one of the five partner tiers, or with a standalone exhibition booth at the Made in Akwa Ibom Marketplace or the Conference Day exhibition floor. Get in touch and we'll build the activation around what you're trying to achieve.

How does the Innovation Challenge work?

Sectoral challenges run statewide with equity-free prizes. Applications open 1 September and close 5 October, finalists are announced 15 October, and the pitch finale is on 3 November. Founders keep their intellectual property throughout.

I want to speak, moderate, or cover the week. How?

Reach out through the Speak, Cover, Contribute section above with what you'd like to do, and we'll match you to a slot in Conference Day, a buildup session, or press access.