21st Century partners US unveils ‘America Corner’ in Lagos

..Says facility will promote innovation, digital access

By Motolani Oseni

An information communication technology company,21st Century Technologies is keying into the United States of America’s vision to propel digital transformation and foster a digital ecosystem in Nigeria.

The vision got a boost recently, seeing the US unveiled a tech and creative space ‘ America Corner’ in 21st Century’s corporate headquarters in Lekki, Lagos.

By this stride, the 21st Century becomes one of the 245 centres where the US has established American Corners since 2000.

The centre was commissioned by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken who was joined by CEO of 21st Century Technologies, Wale Ajisebutu.

Blinken disclosed that America Corner which now has a presence in approximately 60 countries was poised to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity amongst youths.

He explained that the US partnership with the 21st century was deliberate and aligned with the country’s objective to advance technology and creativity among Nigerian youths.

21st Century is reputed to be the first in Nigeria to have deployed a Fibre optics network in 1997 and also pioneered Nigeria’s data centre infrastructure, which has been shaping the country’s digital landscape.

Blinken said, “Back in November of 2021, I had an opportunity to come to Nigeria and to talk about building a 21st-century partnership, a 21st-century partnership with African countries, and to move from those questions about what we can do for Africa to a different question, what can we do with Africa.

“I see this playing out in so many places now as we work together to meet shared challenges that no single one of us can effectively meet alone, and the bottom line, to deliver results to our people”

American Corner boasts resources and facilities like a digital studio, workshops, multimedia and tech equipment, amongst others.

The facilities are made available freely for young Nigerians to explore their inventiveness, entrepreneurial, and creative interests.

Commenting on the initiative, Ajisebutu said, “This is a testament to our dedication to tech advancement and of course, our passion for tomorrow’s leaders. We have always believed in partnership as a key element of success. We want to be part of Nigeria’s innovation journey to becoming the most advanced digital services in Africa and beyond”.

The launch of the space was also witnessed by government representatives from both Nigeria and the US, including the United States Chargé d’Affaires, David Greene and Consul General in Lagos as well as Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.

Remarking, Tijani hinted at Nigeria’s moves to be the next destination for technology.

“We are presently investing in talent, so we want Nigeria to become the next destination of technology talent in the world which is why we are training 3 million of such talents.

“We intend to keep some and also want to become the next exporter of tech talents to the world.”