By Joseph Egbeocha

“Young techies” have converged on Awka, the Anambra State capital, for the second edition of Social Media Festival, SMFEST, tagged “SMFEST Awka 2025”

In his remark at the event with the theme; “Disrupt and evolve” the Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Somtochukwu Udeze, who thanked Governor Chukwuma Soludo for supporting programmes aimed at uplifting the youths, expressed readiness to formulate laws that will increase participation of younger ones in the technological development of the state.

He noted that SMFEST is not about today; but the future, saying that what the present generation needs is “content and creativity” to survive and succeed in it, reason he challenged the youths on creative thinking in order to bring better changes, as the essence of living, according to him, is adapting to changes.

Contributing, the Majority Leader of the Anambra State House of Assembly and Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security, Sir Ikenna Ofodeme, while thanking Governor Soludo for the love he has for the youths, urged young people to use the initiative and agitate for their future, adding that pulling youths out of all manner of crimes and criminalities through such programme will prove how progressive, livable and prosperous the state, society is.

Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Innovation and Business Incubation, Chinwe Okoli, who described the SMFEST as part of the digital ecosystem the Soludo administration is building, charged the youths to get more involved, as the goal is to deliberately build a digital tribe that will power a disruptive economy for decades to come.