Shina Badaru named chairman of Tech Times board

Shina Badaru, founder and CEO of Technology Times Media Limited, publishers of Technology Times, has been named chairman of the board.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the board of directors said the appointment will take effect from December 31, 2016.

Badaru founded the company in August 2004 and it has grown to become the trusted provider of news and information on the ICT industry in Nigeria, the company said, adding that he will stay till the end of 2016 when a new management team will be named “to drive the growth of the Nigerian technology media organisation into its second decade in delivering technology news and information to readers across Nigeria, Africa and beyond”.

Adebola Adenekan, head of corporate services at Technology Times, said that the board of directors has also confirmed that the company “will announce new talents to drive the consolidation of market leadership by the organisation and value innovation foray into new industry segements in the Nigerian technology market.

“The board has decided that in his new role as Chairman, Mr Badaru will help take Technology Times to the next growth phase by shaping the direction of consolidation of market leadership and business foray into value innovation in new business segments straddling entertainment, payments, e-commerce, among others.”

“Mr Badaru is a key technology industry pioneer in Nigeria and as our nation stands at the cusp of a new vista, we are excited that he has been called upon again to lead us at this pivotal phase,” Adenekan said.

Badaru said that “the opportunity to shape the overarching vision of Technology Times into the future and also drive the next phase of the company’s expansion into new industry segments is for me another important call to action.

“This is a rare privilege to be part of the team that defines a roadmap for the Technology Times intervention in leveraging the possibilities of technology to supercharge innovation, foster job creation and promote economic growth across markets in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.”

During his journalism career, Badaru has earned many awards and recognitions, including the first Nigerian recipient of the SAP African Technology Reporting Award in 2001 and First Prize Winner of UN African Media Awards on Local ICT Content, among several local and international awards.

Badaru graduated from Nigeria’s prestigious journalism school, the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, in 1993 and started his journalism career at THISDAY Newspapers in 1996 where he was pioneer IT Reporter, pioneer IT Editor and pioneer Electronic News Editor for THISDAY before leaving in 2000.