Here’s Why China’s Richest Man Jack Ma Is Finally Visiting Nigeria

Barely one week after co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, arrived Nigeria to meet with tech entrepreneurs and get a feel of the local tech ecosystem, another global tech founder and investor has landed in Africa’s largest economy.

This time, it’s Jack Ma — China’s richest man and billionaire founder/former executive chairman of Alibaba Group — who is finally visiting Nigeria after years of speculation and tentative submissions. Ma had visited both Kenya and Rwanda in 2017 and a visit to Nigeria had been mooted for some time now.

Ma is in Nigeria to attend the Nigeria Digital Economy Summit (NDES) in the nation’s capital, Abuja. He’s already met with Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in Abuja, who is holding down the fort while President Muhammadu Buhari is still away in London.

Ma is a Special Guest Speaker at the event with the theme: “Leveraging Digital Economy for Trade & Investment.” The summit was organised by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment and it will hold between Thursday, November 14, to Friday, November 15, 2019.

The summit will feature discussions around the digital economy, innovation, creativity, and the entrepreneurial spirit of a youthful populace.

Ma is addressing the digital economy summit in Abuja after which he will join a panel discussion with other guests.

After visiting Africa in 2017 and discussing investment opportunities, Ma set up the USD 10 Mn NetPreneur Prize for African entrepreneurs at an event in South Africa, which seeks to fund innovative African startups.

The grand finale of the inaugural NetPreneur Prize is slated for later this month in Ghana. And Nigerians are favourites to claim the award this year with four Nigerians among the 10 finalists vying for the ultimate prize.

Featured Image Courtesy: Channels