All you need to know about the 2016 edition of Social Media Week Lagos

Social Media Week (SMW) Lagos produced by AFRIKA21 and Dragon Africa returns to Lagos, Nigeria for its 4th edition from today 22nd - 26th of February 2016. SMW Lagos is part of the global conference Social Media Week which is hosted simultaneously in 12 other cities around the world. Lagos is the first African city to host the annual event, and currently the only African city hosting the week-long global conference. To date, over 20,000 people have participated in SMW Lagos.

The global theme for the February 2016 edition of Social Media Week is The Invisible Hand: Hidden Forces of Technology. Informed by the global theme, the local theme for SMW Lagos is, “The Networked African: Technology’s Impact on Africa (and How We Can Harness it for Good)’. During the week-long event the themes and issues surrounding how mobile technology; networked connectivity; data and other technologies are radically changing industries and communities across Africa.

“In a continent ‘a billion strong’ we understand that our collective capacity will have a huge impact on society beyond our various countries borders. Technology fuels this shift, but it is the networked African in the driver seat. How we harness technology and leverage our individual connectivity will determine Africa’s future and recontextualize the continent’s influence globally.” says Ngozi Odita, Co-Founder/Executive Director, Social Media Week Lagos.

READ: Media influencers, tech organizations, others to participate in week-long event

SMW Lagos 2016 will be held at the SMW Lagos Campus located at Landmark Center, a state of the art event space on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. The SMW Lagos Campus will host keynotes, panels discussions, master classes and feature digital installations, co-working spaces, executive meeting rooms, exhibitions and a beachfront lounge for post-conference networking. The conference will explore a wide range of topics including social media and the Nigerian football industry, business, entertainment, education, technology and governance. In addition, SMW Lagos 2016 debuts several new programming tracks, Future of Media Summit, Women In Tech and the Interactive Pavilion which includes Stage15. SMW Lagos is free and open to the public.

NEW FOR 2016

Future of Media Summit

SMW Lagos kicks off with the ‘Future of Media’ Summit on Monday the 22nd of February 2016. News Bureaus, Broadcasters, Journalists and bloggers join us to share best practices and discuss what's next on the continents media landscape. The summit will feature talks led by Agence France-Presse, The Guardian Nigeria, Quartz Africa, The Guardian (UK), Pulse Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Women in Tech Day

When one woman helps another, amazing things can happen. Professional careers leap forward and new ideas take root... that’s what SMW Lagos African Women in Tech Day is all about. Taking place on the Wednesday, February 24, the day will feature panel sessions and master classes led by Intel, She Leads Africa and Facebook.

Interactive Pavilion

SMW Lagos' Interactive Pavilion hosts a diverse range of forward-thinking exhibitors – from promising start-ups to established industry leaders. It's where business gets done: on the pavilion floor, in and around our conference program, in impromptu connections and in planned meetings and special events. The five-day show encourages targeted connections and new discoveries through experiential offerings from our partner exhibitors as well as co-working spaces, curated lounges and original crowd sourced programming on Stage15.

To learn more about SMW Lagos 2016 and register to attend visit http://socialmediaweek.org/lagos/attend/. For the latest news and updates follow SMW Lagos on Twitter via @SMWLagos or on Facebook via facebook.com/SMWLagos.