By As part of its activities marking the Ibadan Cultural Festival Week, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) held a youth conference on Tuesday, April 14, at the Bode Amoo Hall, Ibadan House, Oke-Aremo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The conference, themed: Empowering Ibadan Future: Igniting Youth Innovation Through Tech and Entrepreneurship, aimed to expose young people to the role of maximizing available technologies for sustainable entrepreneurship.
In his opening address, the President-General, CCII, Chief (Barr) Sulaiman Ajewole noted that young people must begin to see themselves as leaders of the present, not just the future.
Delivering her keynote lecture titled: From Our Root to Or Future: Technology as the New Voice of Ibadan Territory, Prof. Oladejo Bolanle, Head of Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Ibadan, emphasised the influence of technology in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
“We cannot afford to look down on the cultural values, history, and tradition of this great city,” she said. “Ibadan youth are very active on social media, but we must begin to ask ourselves how we can use these platforms to promote our language and culture. Our cultural heritage is calling for digital presence. And that is why this conference is a very good platform for us to reminisce and to take necessary steps using the available infrastructure and technologies to promote our cultural heritage, and to further enhance the economic value of Ibadan.”
She added that the digitisation of cultural assets could enhance their economic value, noting that tools such as virtual reality and gamified storytelling could be used to attract tourism and generate revenue.
“There are many opportunities that we can use to digitize our cultural heritage, to turn our needs to value and what will eventually become a revenue for us,” she explained. “Through virtual reality, we can digitize our cultural history to attract tourists. Also, gamified history is also an avenue to promote and document the history of Ibadan Balogun Ibikunle, Of Latisa into animations for the purpose of revenue generation.”
Prof. Bolanle further encouraged the youth to move beyond being passive consumers of technology to becoming innovators who can develop digital solutions rooted in indigenous knowledge.
Following her speech, six individuals were conferred with the “Icon of Ibadan Heritages” awards the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes in recognition of their contributions to the development of the land.
The award beneficiaries include Prof. Daud Sangodoyin, Oyo State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources; Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, National Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee; Dr. Kola Hammed, Managing Director of Ope-agbe Construction Company Limited; Dr. Rahmon Akinbode; University Librarian at Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, Ibadan; Adegboyega Ayoade, Executive Director of Cooperate Services Rural Electrification Agency (REA); and Mr. Sikiru Lawal based in Houston, Texas.
The event also featured a panel discussion with experts across technology and entrepreneurship sectors. Among them was Adejoke Lasisi, founder of Planet 3R, a company dedicated to turning waste into wealth, who emphasised the importance of using different social media platforms for creating attractive contents, adding that knowing the right customer is the foundation of successful businesses.
“When you start a business, ensure you understand the people you want to sell to. Some people don’t understand their customers and that is why they close up. Customers are the king when it comes to business,” she said.
Another panellist, Dr. Olusola Ayoola, reinforced the role of technology in business growth, particularly the use of artificial intelligence. He clarified that while many people have dubbed artificial intelligence as a tool to get people off their jobs, AI should be regarded as an advantage.
Other panellists included Prof. Oladejo Bolanle, Dr. Kola Hammed, and Dr. Shakirudeen Taiwo, who collectively urged young people to view challenges as opportunities for innovation and value creation.
The conference ended with a vote of thanks delivered by the Chairman of the Youth Conference Committee, Princess Bukola Akanni.
