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The members of the Google Developers Group (GDG UNN) have been a major driving force in improving the wayGDG UNN people see and appreciate technology on campus. The group, sponsored by Google, has trained people who express a passion for technology and look out for innovative ways of using technology to solve problems in the society. They recently held an event in commemorative celebration of the International Women’s Day and also the inauguration of the Women Tech Maker’s UNN chapter on Saturday, 23rd of April, 2016.

The event commenced with a keynote from the GDG lead – Ms. Oyom Ada Nduka. She spoke on the topic ‘Breaking into Tech: From Consumer to Creator’. She gave an exhilarating lecture on the need for everyone to go ‘tech’, especially the women folk who are more times than not, unenthusiastic about technology. By the time lecture was over, the crowd went animated with the slogan ‘Tech is the new oil money’.

GDG UNN 2The morning section of the event continued with enlightening lectures from top members of Google Developers group. The lectures highlighted both the technical and business aspects of the Tech industry.

Mr. Idagu Dominic spoke on ‘Monetizing Android Apps’. He laid emphasis on the use of Ads to generate income from mobile apps. Next was Shalvah Adebayo, who gave a practical lecture on ‘Fundamentals of UX design’. He cited various examples of good and bad UX, as well as the differences between User Interface and User Experience. Ikemma Ifunanya came on with a training on ‘GitHub’, explaining some of its basic functions and how to navigate your way around GitHub as a first time user.

‘Introduction to Web Development’ was handled by Anyaegbunam Felix. It was a lecture for all those who may want to pitch their tent in designing cool and responsive websites. Okwara Godswill took us on some business talk – ‘From Developer to Technopreneur’. He highlighted the need for passion and courage for anyone who wants to delve into the tech business.

On a final note, Onwughalu Kossy taught on “Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence’.  He gave an introductory overview into the world of machine learning and highlighted some of Technology’s greatest breakthroughs achieved through machine learning. We also learnt about the mars rover, the robot sent to mars that tweets to earth via the handle @MarsCuriosity.

The official inauguration of the Women Tech Makers UNN chapter was chaired by Engr. Gaius Ebere, The Chief Systems Analyst/Programmer at the ICT centre of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The event was not without some fun games for everyone to participate in. The event also had a cake-cutting section, social media games, dance games and a trivia question and answer game. This was also a great opportunity for the students to network with other participants. In addition, lots of Google-branded items including bags, shirts, pen boxes, and earphones were won. The event was a success through the hard work of the GDG UNN members and the support of Google.

Hosting informative events like this in all campuses will go a long way in bridging the technological gap between the Nigerian student and his counterpart in other countries. This will also see a rise in the number of tech start-ups in Nigeria as the youths develop more ways of using technology to solve problems in the society.

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This article was first published on 28th April 2016

tobenna-ezike

Tobenna is a writer, programmer and musician who is passionate about God, tech, and music. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the icons below.

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