Ranganath Wins ‘Man of the Year’ Award at BoICT 2023

Nosa Alekhuogie

The Regional Executive, West Africa, at the Africa Data Centres (ADC), Dr. Krishnan Ranganath has won the ‘Man of the Year’ at the Africa’s Beacon of Information and Communications Technology Merit and Leadership Award 2023.

Presenting the award to Ranganath, the organisers of the award ceremony, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, noted that ‘Man of the Year’ was the highest award given to an individual each year. 

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Mr. Ken Nwogbo, while announcing the award in Lagos, said: “We are honoured to present to the Regional Executive, West Africa at the Africa Data Centres, Krishnan Ranganath, the ‘Man of the Year’ award. He was chosen for the award by critical industry stakeholders, who believe he has brought a lot of expertise into the data centre space, which is touted as the new oil.”

Now in its 14th year, Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Award is regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in Nigeria’s ICT industry. Industry watchers and analysts see the award designed to reward individuals and corporate organisation as merit centric.

Krishnan described the award as heart-warming and thought-provoking, especially as he did not expect such an honour from a media organisation and other industry stakeholders.

“I am surprised to have been called out for this recognition. My take-away from the recognition is that the industry appreciates what we are doing at Africa Data Centres to empower businesses in Nigeria and Africa,” he told Journalists on the sideline.

Earlier in a lecture, which he presented at the event titled: ‘Digital Transformation and Cloud Services as New Order’, Krishnan stated that the Nigerian cloud industry, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent from 2022 to 2027, would present ample opportunities for businesses integrating emerging technologies like edge computing, AI, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain.

He believes that Nigeria’s cloud will lead to capital flight reduction, improved responsiveness to citizens’ or customers’ needs, increased transparency, enhanced public service delivery and enhanced human capital and create new jobs.

Speaking about the digital gap, he argued that capacity building and promoting women in ICT are important for bridging the digital divide and promoting inclusive growth. “In Nigeria, only 22 per cent of ICT jobs are held by women. Encouraging and promoting women’s participation in ICT can lead to increased innovation and economic growth,” he said.