Remi Tinubu inaugurates startup hub in Abuja
0
0
Remi Tinubu inaugurates startup hub in Abuja
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has laid the foundation stone for a $10.4m Renewed Hope Startup Hub in Abuja, aimed at supporting young innovators, promoting digital inclusion and creating employment opportunities.
The project is funded through a grant from the Japanese government, facilitated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, Mrs Tinubu urged young Nigerians to take advantage of the facility to transform their ideas into practical solutions, viable businesses and products capable of competing in the global market.
“You can arrive here with a sketch and leave with a working prototype that takes you into the global market space,” she said.
The First Lady commended Japan for supporting Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and praised the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and his team for securing the partnership.
READ ALSO: NITDA DG tasks teachers on practical digital skills
She said the project aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises youth empowerment through entrepreneurship, skills development and sustainable job creation.
According to her, the facility will serve as a national centre for business incubation, hardware prototyping, research and international business collaboration.
Mrs Tinubu urged NITDA to ensure that the hub would be accessible to young people across the country, irrespective of their geographical location or background, to enable more Nigerians to participate in the digital economy.
She called on stakeholders to ensure that the facility became more than a physical structure by providing practical opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop ideas, build businesses and access international markets.
Earlier, Abdullahi said the project was designed to provide young Nigerians with the infrastructure and support needed to turn innovative ideas into businesses and solutions to national and global challenges.
“Today, we are laying the foundation, not just for an innovation hub, but for new enterprises, new opportunities, new partnerships, and a future where our youth ideas can be turned and used to solve our national problems and global challenges,” he said.
The NITDA boss said the agency’s initiatives, implemented through its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, had supported the growth of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
He disclosed that initiatives under the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation had supported more than 995 startups and contributed to the creation of 7,596 jobs.
He added that 300 companies had received training through a digital export acceleration programme over the past three years.
Abdullahi also highlighted the iHatch programme, jointly developed by NITDA and JICA through the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation in 2023.
According to him, 333 startups across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory received training between 2025 and early 2026, alongside 74 innovation hub managers.
He said other NITDA-JICA initiatives, including We Elevate and IgniteHatch, had supported women entrepreneurs, with 224 women-owned businesses trained, 12 founders sponsored to Japan and one beneficiary securing a $500,000 grant.
The director-general announced that NITDA was working towards ensuring that every state had at least two functional innovation hubs where young entrepreneurs could access incubation programmes and develop market-ready products and services.
He further disclosed that JICA was working with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority to establish a $50m seed-funding facility for startups.
The proposed facility, he said, would strengthen entrepreneurship, support job creation in the digital economy and expand opportunities for young Nigerians.
Also speaking, Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki, said the project reflected more than six decades of diplomatic relations between both countries, with increasing cooperation in technology, innovation and human capital development.
Suzuki said Japan’s support for Nigeria’s startup ecosystem focused on strengthening policies and institutions, supporting early-stage investment and providing infrastructure through the Renewed Hope Startup Hub.
“This hub will provide entrepreneurs with the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment needed to transform raw ideas into viable businesses,” he said.
He added that the centre would provide digital fabrication equipment and collaborative spaces where entrepreneurs could develop products, connect with international partners and contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification.
The ambassador said Japan’s approach was aimed at supporting businesses over the long term, adding that the initiative aligned with both countries’ objectives of promoting digital transformation, industrial development and stronger economic ties.
