By Mical Imbukwa
Samsung Electronics East Africa is set to participate in the first ever Vifaa Tech Festival that will be held on 11th and 12th June 2021.
The event that is the first of its kind in Kenya, will be held by Gadgets Africa (Wee Media Kenya Ltd) virtually, in partnership with Nation Media Group.
According to Mr. Sam Odhiambo, Head of Consumer Electronics Division, Consumer technology is evolving at a very fast rate and it is therefore important for it to be demystified for the Kenyan and African consumer.
“We are honored that Vifaa Tech Festival is giving us the opportunity to drive this conversation. The last few months have seen us spend more time at home than ever before, which then means that we are interacting more frequently with the products in our homes and hence, we have realized the need to upgrade to make our lives more comfortable.” He said
Vifaa Tech Festival is giving Samsung the opportunity to interact with their customers and answer all the questions they might have with regard to the company’s products, allowing them to make the best purchase decision based on their needs.
Samsung Head of Integrated Mobile Division, Mr. Charles Kimari will be among the panelists on discussing 5G and the future of connectivity in Africa while Mr. Sam Odhiambo will also be a panellist in the discussion around the work from Home era, among other topics.
Vifaa Tech Festival was launched to spark conversations around consumer technologies beyond gadgets, showcase flagship products, and technology to millions of Africans. Through the festival, Gadgets Africa (Wee Media Kenya Ltd) will recognize cutting-edge consumer products and technologies and put the African context between technology creators and African consumers.
The expo’s name has been derived from the Swahili word, Vifaa, which means equipment or gear, representing the industry’s gadgets. Vifaa Tech Festival is a two-day virtual festival that seeks to bring together industry stakeholders and consumers onto one platform.
“We are proud to be part of the first ever Vifaa Tech Festival. Kenya is a country of firsts when it comes to technology in Africa and as Samsung we are committed to providing support and being part of this conversation”, said Mr. Charles Kimari.
He further went on to add that, Vifaa Tech Festival is a great platform to discuss Tech for Africa, which has always been discussed in other markets. It is important that Africa joins in the conversation.
On top of this, Vifaa Tech Festival will include Gadgets Africa’s (Wee Media Kenya Ltd) pioneering consumer awards, which seeks to recognize and shine a spotlight on brands, gadgets and even stores that consumers appreciate. Unlike the previous years where awards selection was purely an internal consideration, this year’s selection will be open to public votes to determine the winners.
As Rishabh Lawania, CEO Wee Media Africa noted, Consumer technology and electronics brands are celebrated, criticized, and appreciated in the US, SE Asia and EU.
“One of the key motives of launching Gadgets Africa (Wee Media Kenya Ltd) was to empower the Kenyan consumer in making informed decisions in buying electronics. Today, we’re moving a step further and joining us is Nation Media Group in launching Africa’s very own consumer technology Launchpad forum,” he said
