By Saidu Idris
365Daily – A summit designed to enhance sports business and physical education in Nigeria through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is scheduled for August 26-27 in London, United Kingdom.
A statement released to the media by the organisers, NDDIS Sports, disclosed that the 2021 theme is ‘ICT: A Veritable Tool for Delivering Physical Education and Enhancing Sports Business in Nigeria.’
It explained that the thematic areas to be explored during the conference would include Nigerian Sports in the Era of New Media, ICT Driven Sponsorship Activation, Delivering Sports and Physical Education Virtually in new normal era.
The statement further revealed NDDIS sports will host participants at the iconic 9 Northumberland Avenue, London, the Nigerian High Commission in Central London, to a high level business to business cocktail opening ceremony on the 26th August 2021; while the plenary, breakout sessions and dinner will take place the next day, 27th August 2021 at Holiday Inn, Kensington High Street, London.
According to the Chairman of NDDIS, Chief Bimbo Robert Afolayan, “this is a continuation of our commitment at NDDIS to use our leverage and reach in the diaspora to contribute to the task of nation building.
“This year, we are focused on ICT and how it can be deployed within the sports business and physical education sector. Remember that sports is now a business in Nigeria according to the FG.”
Similarly, the Director of Sports at NDDIS, Bob Olukoya, submitted that grassroots sports business in Nigeria is worth over 2 trillion Naira annually but has remained largely untapped.
He said participants and investors at the summit are expected to synergise on ways to unlock this huge potentials.
As global travels continue to recover after the pandemic, Olukoya said he is convinced that more sports and physical education training will be delivered online and Nigeria must be prepared for this new dawn.
The summit, as projected, provides additional opportunities for sports federations, club owners and coaches associations in Nigeria to engage with ICT specialists in enhancing their technical capabilities in this regard.
There is, according to the organisers, the opportunity for participants, academics and industry experts to make presentations at the summit.
They added that abstract of such presentations must be submitted not later than 16th July to the organisers via their email address info@nddissports.com.
“This is an opportunity for Nigerian sporting stakeholders to have a captive audience just to talk about Nigerian sports and how ICT can make a difference.
“It is an arena to engage the fine minds, digital entrepreneurs, government leaders, sports clubs, sports federations, bankers, captains of industries from Nigeria and the UK on how to better manage sports business and physical education in Nigeria through the knowledge of Information and Communication Technology, ” Olukoya explained.