EDITION 012024
Gear Up!
The first edition asked the region to gear up. Theme: Technology as a Force for Economic and Social Empowerment.
7–9 November 2024 · Free attendance
SKITPN CONF ’26
KAFANCHAN
Southern Kaduna
Tech Conference
’26
Accelerate
Innovate. Scale. Transform.
The third Southern Kaduna Tech Conference: two days in Kafanchan for developers, students, founders, farmers and anyone who wants to see what technology can do here. Free to attend. Register to get in.
20–21
NOVEMBER
2026
New Choice
Events Hall
Kafanchan
ACTIVATE.INNOVATE.DEVELOP
WHO WE ARE
Southern Kaduna Information Technology Professionals Network
SKITPN is a volunteer-led community of IT professionals, entrepreneurs, educators and students from Southern Kaduna. It started from something members kept noticing: the region produces capable tech people, they move away, and very little of that skill comes back home. The network exists to close that loop.
We aren't a company or a government agency. Everything runs on members' time, their contributions and the goodwill of partners.
3conferences since 2024
4community forums
100+young people in our free bootcamp
3,000+expected at Accelerate
MISSION
To empower our members, foster technological innovation, and build a sustainable future for our region through collaboration, mentorship and creativity.
VISION
A Southern Kaduna where technology transforms lives, drives economic growth and closes the digital divide, and a community equipped to compete in the global technology economy.
WHAT WE DO
ACTIVATE + INNOVATE + DEVELOP
CollaborationA working platform where tech professionals share knowledge and build solutions together.
Mentorship and trainingGuidance for young practitioners, plus workshops in skills employers are hiring for now.
Support for foundersBacking for tech startups, so value created in Southern Kaduna stays in Southern Kaduna.
Community outreachDigital literacy work in secondary schools and rural communities.
SKITPN DIGITAL SKILLS BOOTCAMP
More than 100 young people, learning free, every weekend
Since July 2026 the network has run a free three-month bootcamp at the Demonstration Secondary School, Kaduna State College of Education, Kafanchan. Practitioners from SKITPN teach it on their Saturdays.
The bootcamp is why the conference is more than a once-a-year event. Several of its tracks connect straight into sessions at Accelerate.
FIVE TRACKS
01Data analytics
02Front-end web development
03Computer networking
04Artificial intelligence
05Graphic design
THE CONFERENCE
Three Novembers in Kafanchan
The Southern Kaduna Tech Conference is SKITPN's yearly gathering at New Choice Events Hall in Jema'a LGA. It's held in Kafanchan on purpose: events like this usually go to Abuja or Lagos, and the young people who need them most can't travel. Attendance has been free every year.
PAST GUESTS
The first edition heard from representatives of the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and of the Director General of NITDA, alongside the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. Later editions hosted the President of the Digital Bridge Institute, the Chairman of Kachia Local Government and Dr. Manzo Maigari, among others.
SINCE 2024
2024Founding meet-up, then three community forums in Kafanchan on tech careers, startups and small business, and agribusiness and agri-tech.
NOV 2024Gear Up, the first conference. Three days at New Choice Events Hall, free to attend.
NOV 2025Leap Forward, the second edition, 13 to 15 November in Kafanchan.
JUL 2026The SKITPN Digital Skills Bootcamp opens at the Kaduna State College of Education, Kafanchan.
NOV 2026Accelerate, 20 and 21 November. The biggest edition yet.
SPEAKERS AND RESOURCE PERSONS
Bringing the frontier to Kafanchan
For 2026 we're working to bring in people from these organisations, so a young person in Kafanchan hears the same things they would hear in Yaba or Abuja. Named speakers go up here as they confirm.
CcHUBLAGOS
Building products, incubation, and what it takes for an idea from Kafanchan to become a company.ColabKADUNA AND JOS
Hands-on technical clinics, and a relationship with the network that continues after the conference.AI practitionersABUJA
People who work with artificial intelligence every day, tied to the AI track in our bootcamp.GreyHobbKADUNA
Technical training and software work in the state, and a way to be seen by employers in Kaduna.
LINE-UP IN PROGRESS
We'll add confirmed speakers here as more people confirm they can make it. Check back as 20 November gets closer.
To be announced
Confirmation pending
PROGRAMME
Two days, from awareness to output
Accelerate is about velocity and scale. Over two years the conference has surfaced people, small businesses and student projects. This edition pushes them toward products, jobs and partnerships that last beyond the event.
Day 1Friday 20 November
Day 2Saturday 21 November
Session times will be posted closer to the date.
01
Opening ceremony and keynotesFriday morning, to start the conference.
02
Plenary sessionsTechnology, skills and the regional economy, in the main hall.
03
Workshops and technical clinicsSmaller breakout rooms. Bring a laptop if you have one.
04
Startup and student project showcaseLocal teams show what they have built.
05
Agri-tech innovation challengeTeams compete with ideas for farming, ending in pitch finals and prizes.
REGISTRATION
Get your seat at Accelerate
Fill this in once per person. You'll get a reference number on screen to show at the door, and we'll email updates as the programme fills up.
When: 20–21 November 2026
Where: New Choice Events Hall, Kafanchan
You're in. Your registration has reached the SKITPN team, and a confirmation is on its way to {{ regEmail }}. Screenshot this ticket and show it at check-in.
PARTNERS
Who has backed the conference
The conference has run on volunteered time and local contributions. These offices have backed it since the first edition. Support for 2026 goes to bringing in resource persons, delegate materials, transport for people from outlying communities, and the agri-tech challenge prizes.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Office of the Senator, Southern Kaduna Senatorial District
IN COLLABORATION WITH
Office of the Honourable Member, House of Representatives, Jema'a/Sanga Federal Constituency
2026
Become a partner or sponsor
Who can attend?+
Anyone. Past editions have drawn tech practitioners, undergraduates, secondary school pupils, small business owners, farmers, public officials, and traditional and religious leaders. You don't need a tech background.
Is there a fee?+
No. Attendance has been free at every edition and stays free in 2026. You do need to register first.
Do I need to come both days?+
No. One registration covers both days, so come to whichever sessions suit you. Check the agenda once it's published.
Should I bring a laptop?+
If you have one, yes. Some sessions are hands-on. You can still follow along without one.
Where is New Choice Events Hall?+
In Kafanchan, Jema'a Local Government Area. It's the same hall that hosted the first edition in 2024.
How can my company get involved?+
Email skitpnconf@gmail.com or call 0803 471 0208 to sponsor, exhibit or send a speaker.