By Juliet Umeh

Major players in Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology, ICT, industry including Chief Technology Officers, CTOs, Chief Digital Officers, CDO, among others will be honoured at the forthcoming Chief Information Officer, CIO Awards for innovation.

The award ceremony which is in its second edition by an enterprise governance and business consultancy firm, Edniesal Consulting Limited, holds 26 November in Lagos.

The company said the objective of the award is to recognize and celebrate the outstanding works by the players in the Information Technology ecosystem across various business sectors of the economy.

It said: “These are the unsung heroes that bring innovation to bear while discharging their duties, and importantly, positively affecting business functions.

“Today, technology has become a mainstay of our everyday lives including leading businesses and organizations.

“Those behind the workings are hardly mentioned, which is why the CIO Awards was inaugurated and has come to stay,” it added.

Sharing their experience of the award, one of last year’s recipients, Mr. Richard Amafonye, the CIO of Wema Bank and winner, CIO of the year – Banking, said: “Winning a professional award means a lot, a tangible size of expertise, a reasonable marker of achievement, and indeed an affirmation of capability, and a constant reminder to up performances and meet expectations”.

 According to him, one of the benefits of the Awards is that it provides a platform for awardees and their companies to connect with key players in the industry and ensure a solid presence.

Another recipient of the Award, Mr. Obinna Ukonu, the Business Solutions and Systems Director, Nigerian Bottling Company, and Winner, CIO of the year – Consumer Goods & Retail, said that “receiving the award has helped to elevate my visibility and presence, and has also allowed me to connect with other IT leaders and thought leaders within the industry”.

As the ceremony draws closer, assessments on the nominations received so far are ongoing by the Jury team.

The jury is chaired by Mr. Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Access Bank Plc, with Mrs. Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka of MTN as vice-chairman