Technology
Panasonic To Showcase Future Lifestyles at IFA 2016
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Japanese company, Panasonic, says it will exhibit its latest products and technologies at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2016 to be held in Berlin, Germany, from September 2 to 7, 2016.
Under the theme of “A Better Life, A Better World,” the Panasonic booth will highlight the Lifestyle Showcase to present a living environment featuring “the lifestyles we all desire,” complete with Panasonic’s wide range of products, from audio-visual equipment to home appliances and beauty.
With its advanced appliances connected to a network, Panasonic will create a multipurpose living area by fusing the kitchen and living and dining rooms into one where the family and friends can congregate and share time together, yet each one can have enough space to spend one’s time in one’s own way.
As an example of “the lifestyle we all desire” technically achievable within the next three to five years, Panasonic presents an enriched lifestyle as envisaged by sharing the space with loved and special ones.
Multipurpose space allowing to share experiences
This corner will feature a simple, interactive, and harmonious living environment in a manner that reflects personal preferences in daily life. The spatial environment can be changed depending on personal behavior to ensure comfort and to produce unexpected excitement anywhere.
･ In/visible library, glass curtain
Transparent displays are blended into the home’s interior – invisible as they are built into cupboard doors or sliding doors. The displays show images only when necessary.
･ Lighting and audio-visual equipment
Lighting and sound change in response to personal movement. The equipment effectively changes the atmosphere depending on the situation.
Equipment and services that reflect personal preferences and increase satisfaction
This corner will feature a living environment that enables access to appropriate information and offers support on various occasions in daily life. The cooking experience helps to enjoy meals and conversation.
･ Sake & wine cellar
This cellar keeps different types of alcoholic beverages, such as sake and wine, at optimal temperature and humidity. A transparent display is used as the door to show a variety of information such as information about the drinks inside and recipes of dishes that go well with them.
･ Range hoods equipped with a camera
Panasonic’s range hoods achieve accurate sensing of cooking conditions. The temperature of induction hobs is properly controlled to get professional-level cooking at home. The progress of cooking can also be checked.
･ New Concept Built-in Cooker
Panasonic’s new cooker is based on a concept totally different from that of induction hobs and griddles. It is also built into a table. The operation is simple – put ingredients on a dish and set it on the cooker. No pot or frying pan is required because the cooker heats only the ingredients. The cooker presents a new cooking experience that keeps freshly cooked dishes hot and tasty until the end of a meal.
･ Cloud services
The cloud services are designed to present recipes for increasing the joy of cooking and making up variations. Working in tandem with a range hood equipped with a camera, the cloud services enable connected cooking appliances to share information and control the temperature, so that multiple dishes can be completed simultaneously. Great food makes your party with special ones even more special.
･ All in One Laundry
This laundry machine does a series of time-consuming laundry chores, from washing, drying and folding, to storage, based on image analysis and robotics technologies. This allows for more leisure time.
･ Home controller
The home controller is designed to control all home appliances, including lighting, and provide helpful information. For example, the controller also detects and lets users know what is left in the refrigerator. It is connected with the cloud via a home server to support various aspects of daily life.
Smart Home
Lifestyle Showcase: Peace of mind for your life
Here visitors can find a smart home that is easy to operate, with all security products in the house, e.g. cameras, sensors, connected. A lifestyle that provides a sense of security is introduced in five settings and presentations.
Products on Display
･ Home network system
This corner will introduce a DECT-compatible home network system that easily establishes a connection between a smartphone and the home. Also exhibited will be optional products including indoor and outdoor cameras, open/close sensors, occupancy sensors, and smart plugs with a built-in sensor.
Digital Imaging
Consulting counter & shooting
The lineup of Panasonic LUMIX digital cameras and video cameras will be on display. Panasonic’s product experts will be on hand to offer consulting services. All products on display here will be available for visitors to try out and experience first-hand.
Products on Display
･ HC-X1 4K 60p/50p video camera (to be released in December 2016 in Europe)
HC-X1 is the world’s first* video camera with a 1-inch sensor that features a wide-angle (24 mm)/optical 20x zoom lens. This new 4K 60p/50p video camera that meets professional needs will be on display.
*As of September 1, 2016, based on a survey conducted by Panasonic.
･ LUMIX Digital Cameras
This corner will feature DMC-TZ100 and other LUMIX cameras to introduce the Focus Select feature, which allows the focus position to be freely adjusted after the photo is taken, and the 4K PHOTO feature, which enables the user to select a frame from a 30-fps image sequence and create a photo.
TV + Home AV
Lifestyle showcase: True to filmmakers vision
This area highlights Panasonic’s guiding philosophy for picture quality: “true to the filmmaker’s vision,” by showing how Panasonic is uniquely involved from the movie-set through to the living room. As such Panasonic’s professional filmmaking equipment is displayed alongside its Ultra HD Premium* TVs and a Blu-ray Disc players.
*A premium standard established by the UHD Alliance that specifies the highest quality of 4K Ultra HD
Products on Display
･ 4K Pro HDR TVs
This corner will highlight the high-quality picture quality of Panasonic’s 4K Pro HDR DX-series line-up, with accurate color thanks to Panasonic’s proprietary image processing technologies, and fine-tuning by a leading Hollywood colorist. Panasonic’s Art & Interior design concept for 2016 TVs which aims to harmonize them within our living environments is displayed and explained. Panasonic will also exhibit a prototype OLED TV, in addition to various other future TV technologies.
･ Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Players
In addition to the high-end DMP-UB900, the DMP-UB700 which will be released from October 2016 in Europe, will also be exhibited. Both models are ULTRA HD Premium* certified and thus deliver the best 4K/HDR experience available.
Audio
Products on Display
･ Urban Audio series
The Urban Audio series will be on display for the first time. Featuring stylish designs, this series is designed to deliver high-quality music for urban life based on the concept of “LIFE WITH MUSIC, REIMAGINED.” The SC-UA7 all-in-one speaker system consists of 10 speaker units, each built into a hexagonal cabinet, and delivers powerful sound with a 180-degree listening area. The SC-RB5, which is portable and waterproof type, produces ultra-bass sound by vibrating the bottom face of the cabinet, and achieves a 360-degree sound field.
･ AllPlay™-Compatible products
Visitors will find here Panasonic’s audio products that are compatible with the AllPlay™ protocol, which uses Wi-Fi to play music simultaneously on several devices in the house. Various products will be on display to present a new audio experience at home, including the SC-ALL7CD featuring a flat design that achieves both high sound quality and compactness with Hi-Res compatibility, and the SC-ALL05, the first waterproof product in the series with a built-in battery.
･ Headphones
This corner will exhibit RP-BTS50/BTS30/BTS10 wireless headphones that enable the user to enjoy high-quality sound while engaged in hard sports, and RP-HF500/300/100 high sound quality headphones featuring a fashionable design and color variations, etc.
･ Hi-Res-compatible products
This corner will introduce products that play Hi-Res audio files with high resolution and quality, such as SC-PMX100/70 micro audio systems, RP-HD10/6M headphones, and RP-HDE10 inside phones.
Personal Care
Lifestyle Showcase: Feeling better by looking good
Personal Care for three categories, ladies beauty, men’s grooming, and oral care, will be presented in a special space.
･ Ladies beauty
The EH-XC10 facial beauty appliance for “dense foam aesthetic salon treatment” and the EH-XT20 ion effector, both of which are to be released in October 2016 in Europe, will be introduced as high-grade professional beauty products. Visitors can also try out the EH-SA31 steamer. #SnSnap, an SNS photo printing service, will also be available here.
･ Men’s grooming
Visitors can experience firsthand the 5-blade ES-LV9N Lamdash shaver that allows for a gentle and close shave, ER-GB80 beard and moustache trimmers offering 39 settings for personalized trim length, and the ER-GC71 hair trimmer.
･ Oral care
The EW1411 rechargeable dental beat, the EW-DM81 electric toothbrush (to be released in September 2016 in Europe), and the EW-DL83 will be available for try out.
Laundry
Products on Display
･ This corner will feature demonstrations using an actual model equipped with Panasonic’s unique Auto Care function, which employs four sensors to detect laundry weight, materials, and soil levels as well as water temperature, and automatically achieves optimal washing settings. The lineup exhibition will feature 10 kg and 8 kg models to compare how much laundry can be handled in one load. Miniature models will show the history of Panasonic washing machines, and a video presentation will illustrate their quality trusted by consumers over many years.
Kitchen Appliances
Lifestyle Showcase: Experience Fresh
A food specialist will be invited for cooking demonstrations using Panasonic’s kitchen appliances — microwave oven, bread maker, slow juicer, high-power blender, food processor — and ingredients that are kept fresh in a Panasonic refrigerator. Recipes for dishes that can be cooked using Panasonic’s kitchen appliances will also be introduced.
Products on Display
･ Kitchen appliances
On display will be the NN-DS596 microwave oven, the SD-ZB2512 bread maker, the MJ-L500 slow juicer, the MX-ZX1800 high-power blender (to be released in September 2016 in Europe), and the MK-F800 food processor. Visitors will also be able to learn about a fresh and healthy eating lifestyle that can be readily practiced.
･ Refrigerators
This corner will focus on Panasonic’s own technologies including temperature control that keeps meat and fish fresh for an extended period of time at -3°C, in addition to demonstrations showing humidity and nutrient control technologies to maintain freshness. A lineup of side-by-side refrigerators along with their sleek design will also be introduced.
Built-in Kitchen Appliances
Cooking demonstrations
An instructor from a famous Japanese cooking school, the TSUJI Culinary Institute, and a German chef will prepare dishes using Panasonic’s cooking appliances. Visitors will find how accurate temperature control of Panasonic’s induction hobs makes perfect deep fries and grilled dishes. The food will be available for tasting.
Products on Display
･ Induction hobs
This corner will feature the Genius sensor, Panasonic’s original light thermal sensor technology that detects far-infrared radiation from the bottom of the pot to ensure accurate temperature control. Panasonic’s proprietary technologies to provide optimum temperature control for cooking will be introduced using a skeleton model and video. Also on display will be a prototype of the KY-T937VF induction hob (to be released in March 2017 in Europe).
･ Built-in equipment
Built-in kitchen equipment that is on sale in Germany (steam microwave ovens, dishwasher-dryers, warmers, and refrigerators) will be on display. For the HL-SX485 steam microwave oven equipped with inverter controls and steamer functions, steam demonstrations will be performed.
Technics
Sound room
･ Visitors can experience the Technics SL-1200G direct drive turntable system that has been developed to redefine the direct drive mechanism, and the sound of the G30 series that is designed to create next-generation Hi-Fi sound.
Products on Display
･ SL-1200G direct drive turntable system
The manufacturing process for the SL-1200G, underpinned by craftsmanship, will be introduced together with a video presentation. Tradition is combined with advanced technologies, with each part carefully crafted.
･ Lineup exhibition
The overall concept of Technics will be introduced by exhibiting the full lineup of products, including Reference Class, Grand Class, and Premium Class, and the Technics TRACKS Hi-Res audio files download service, etc.
Future Living Berlin
Panel/diorama exhibition
･ In addition to the smart city project in which Panasonic is involved, the company’s five proprietary solutions that underpin the smart city project will be introduced using panels and dioramas. These solutions include smart energy, smart mobility, smart security, smart health, and smart citizenship.
Panasonic Booth at IFA
Period:
Friday, September 2 to Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Location:
Messe Berlin, Hall 5.2 a/b
Booth size:
Approx. 3,300 m2
Exhibits:
Latest consumer electronics products
Panasonic Live@IFA 2016
Panasonic will be covering its booth live with “Panasonic LIVE@IFA 2016.” The booth as well as the latest products, and Panasonic’s ideas and technologies that help realize an “aspirational lifestyle” will also be introduced in detail.
Panasonic LIVE@IFA Special Website: http://www.panasonic.com/ifa
(*EU residents can join the winning game. Learn more at the special website.)
Please follow Panasonic’s main stream for LIVE@IFA 2016 with hash tag #PanasonicIFA.
The Interswitch Retail Summit 2026 will convene on April 23, 2026, at the Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja, bringing together senior leaders across Nigeria’s retail ecosystem for a focused conversation on the future of commerce. The forum, themed “The Modern Retail Playbook: What Works, What’s Changing, What’s Next?”, is designed to foster meaningful, execution-driven dialogue among decision-makers and key industry stakeholders. At its core, the event aims to bridge the gap between insight and action in a rapidly evolving market.
Nigeria’s retail sector is undergoing a profound and inevitable evolution. The familiar structures that once defined how businesses operate, how customers engage, and how transactions are completed are steadily giving way to a more dynamic, technology-driven ecosystem. For many organisations, this shift has moved beyond theory into daily reality, where decisions around growth, efficiency, and customer experience must now be made within the context of constant change.
At the centre of this evolution is the growing influence of digital technology. Consumers are more informed, more connected, and more demanding than ever before. They expect seamless interactions, faster service, and consistent experiences across both physical and digital channels. Meeting these expectations requires more than incremental improvements; it calls for a fundamental rethinking of how retail operations are structured, delivered, and scaled.
Leadership, therefore, has taken on a more integrated and strategic role. Today’s Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are not just managing their respective functions; they are collectively responsible for navigating a new kind of business environment. Strategy, technology, and finance are no longer separate conversations; they intersect in ways that directly influence an organisation’s ability to compete and grow.
Across Nigeria, there are already clear signs of adaptation. Retailers are leveraging data to better understand customer preferences and tailor their offerings in real time. Payment solutions are becoming more seamless, reducing friction at checkout and enabling new forms of commerce. At the same time, partnerships across the ecosystem are unlocking efficiencies and opening new pathways for growth. Yet, while progress is evident, it remains uneven.
Many organisations are still grappling with how to translate emerging trends into practical strategies that deliver measurable outcomes. This underscores the importance of platforms that bring industry leaders together. When decision-makers exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another, the entire ecosystem benefits. It is through these shared conversations that best practices are refined, new approaches are tested, and meaningful progress is accelerated.
As a company with over two decades of experience enabling digital payments and commerce across Africa, Interswitch Group has seen firsthand how collaboration drives innovation. Its work across retail and the broader commerce ecosystem reinforces a simple but powerful reality: the most effective solutions are often developed through partnership. Whether it is integrating payment systems, improving operational efficiency, or enhancing customer engagement, the ability to work across boundaries is becoming a defining feature of successful organisations.
The timing of the forum is particularly significant. Nigeria’s economic landscape continues to evolve, presenting both challenges and opportunities for businesses. Rising operational costs, shifting consumer spending patterns, and increased competition are prompting organisations to rethink traditional approaches. At the same time, advances in technology are opening new possibilities for efficiency, scalability, and innovation. Navigating this dual reality requires a balanced approach, one that combines strategic foresight with disciplined execution.
Operational efficiency will be a key area of focus at the forum. In a competitive environment, the ability to streamline processes, reduce waste, and optimise resources can significantly impact performance. Technology plays a central role in enabling this shift through automation, improved visibility, and more informed decision-making. However, unlocking these benefits requires more than tools; it demands organisational alignment and strong leadership commitment.
The forum will also explore the future of retail in Nigeria, with a focus on emerging trends and their implications for business strategy. From the rise of omnichannel retailing to the growing importance of data-driven insights, the forces shaping the industry are increasingly interconnected. Understanding these dynamics is essential for leaders looking to position their organisations for sustained success.
Ultimately, the evolution of Nigeria’s retail sector is not a distant prospect; it is already underway. The question for business leaders is no longer whether they will be affected, but how they will respond. Will they take a proactive approach, seeking out insights and building the partnerships needed to thrive, or will they struggle to keep pace with change?
Platforms like the Interswitch Retail Summit 2026 offer a timely opportunity to choose the former. By bringing together the individuals shaping the future of retail, the forum creates space for learning, collaboration, and decisive action. In a rapidly evolving landscape, such platforms are no longer optional; they are essential for leaders looking to build resilient, future-ready retail businesses in Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Four Nigerian firms have been selected to join the 10th Google for Startups Accelerator Africa Cohort, which began on April 13 and will end on June 19, 2026.
Fifteen companies are participating in the hybrid programme, which will receive dedicated guidance from experienced mentors and industry experts, alongside hands-on technical workshops focused on AI and machine learning.
The four Nigerian startups chosen for this scheme include Bani, MasteryHive AI, Regxta, and Termii.
They were picked from an exceptionally competitive pool of nearly 2,600 applications. The beneficiaries are utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address critical local and regional challenges.
As for Bani, it is a cross-border payments infrastructure platform eliminating settlement delays for African businesses trading globally, while MasteryHive AI is an AI-native platform automating transaction reconciliation, fraud detection, and AML monitoring.
On its part, Regxta combines alternative data-driven credit scoring with a hybrid digital-agent distribution model to deliver financial products to unbanked micro businesses, while Termii uses its AI-native communications infrastructure platform to ensure reliable financial messaging for banks and fintechs.
African tech founders are actively solving fundamental infrastructural challenges, bridging gaps in financial inclusion, healthcare, and supply chains with complex AI.
The continent’s venture ecosystem showed remarkable resilience by raising $3.9 billion in 2025. However, scaling deep-tech solutions requires specialised technical infrastructure, advanced cloud capabilities, and strategic mentorship to complement this capital.
Accelerator initiatives provide these exact tools, ensuring local innovations can sustainably grow into businesses that power the continent’s digital economy.
“At Termii, we’re building AI-powered infrastructure that ensures financial transactions don’t fail, from login PINs to payment OTPs and fraud alerts.
“The Google Startup Accelerator is helping us accelerate our AI roadmap and scale globally, and even in the first week, access to technical support and insights has been incredibly valuable for our next phase of growth,” the chief executive of Termii, Mr Gbolade Emmanuel, stated.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome these exceptional founders into Class 10. African startups are driving essential economic growth and social development.
“Our role is to serve as a supportive partner, providing these developers and founders with the technical infrastructure, mentorship, and global network they need to scale their solutions and amplify their real-world impact,” the Head of Startup Ecosystem for Google Africa, Mr Folarin Aiyegbusi, disclosed.
Since launching in 2018, the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program has supported 106 startups from 17 African countries, empowering them to collectively raise over $263 million and create more than 2,800 jobs.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nineteen emerging startups are being showcased at the 2026 Demo Day organised by the Ilorin Innovation Hub in partnership with IHS Nigeria, a part of IHS Holding Limited, also known as IHS Towers.
The participating small firms took part in the hub’s accelerator and incubation programmes. At this event, themed The Convergence, they will pitch their solutions to investors, venture capital funds, corporate partners, and the media.
The platform would be used to help them unlock funding opportunities, foster strategic collaborations, and amplify visibility for these startups that are developing solutions across critical sectors, including agriculture, health-tech, green energy, lifestyle, and digital services.
“We believe innovation and digital technology are powerful drivers of economic growth and sustainable development. This is why we partnered with the Kwara State Government on the Ilorin Innovation Hub.
“It is impressive and very fulfilling to see the diverse portfolio of ideas and solutions showcased today from the hub within a year of the commencement of operations. This speaks to the depth of creativity among Nigerians and what is possible when they are equipped and supported.
“Today’s event makes me proud of our investment in the space and underscores IHS Nigeria’s continued commitment to supporting technology, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation in Nigeria,” the chief executive of IHS Nigeria, Mr Mohamad Darwish, said.
The Managing Director of Ilorin Innovation Hub, Temi Kolawole, also said, “Today, we showcase 19 startups that have shown that when you combine talent with the right support, the results speak for themselves.
“The Ilorin Innovation Hub exists to ensure that geography is never a barrier to building something extraordinary, and this Demo Day is proof that we are on the right track.”
The Ilorin Innovation Hub, a partnership between the Kwara State Government and IHS Nigeria, began operations in February 2025 with programmes managed by Co-creation Hub and Future Africa.
The Demo Day presents an opportunity to take stock and assess how the Ilorin Innovation Hub is helping to nurture and bring to life groundbreaking ideas and solutions supporting economic resilience and addressing real-world societal challenges.
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