By Tahir Ahmad,

Northern Nigeria is often overlooked in conversations about technological innovation, but a new wave of ICT inventors from the region is challenging that narrative.

These individuals are not just building apps or running startups—they are redefining what is possible in communities historically underrepresented in Nigeria’s tech evolution.

Here are five standout inventors from Northern Nigeria whose work is reshaping the region’s ICT landscape:

1. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega – The Startup Mobilizer

Mohammed Jega, founder of StartUp Arewa, is a pioneer in northern tech development. Since 2016, his initiative has mentored and supported ICT talents across 19 northern states.

Jega has championed the creation of innovation hubs in places like Gombe, Yobe, and Katsina—transforming them into mini tech ecosystems. His work focuses on using digital tools to solve local problems, from agriculture to financial inclusion.

2. Maryam Lawan Gwadabe – The Hub Builder

At just 24, Maryam founded Blue Sapphire Hub in Kano—arguably the city’s first tech-preneurship centre. Since 2017, the hub has incubated dozens of startups, hosted coding bootcamps, and provided digital skills training for youth and women.

Her Young Minds Ideation programme introduced entrepreneurship and tech innovation to hundreds of secondary school students.

3. Mustapha Gajibo – The Electric Vehicle Innovator

Based in Borno State, Mustapha Gajibo is making global headlines with Phoenix Renewables, where he engineers solar-powered electric vehicles.

His EVs—built completely from scratch in Nigeria—can cover up to 200 kilometers on a single charge. Gajibo also converts old petrol buses to electric, a feat unmatched in Sub-Saharan Africa.

His innovation addresses both transport challenges and climate concerns.

4. Amal Hassan – The Outsourcing Powerhouse

Amal is the founder of Outsource Global, a leading ICT firm providing services like call center operations, software development, and cloud services. Her company has trained and employed thousands—many of them women—in Northern Nigeria.

Amal is also mentoring the next generation of female ICT professionals, breaking barriers in a male-dominated sector.

5. Sanusi Ismaila – The Ecosystem Engineer

As founder of CoLab in Kaduna and co-founder of Aduna Capital, Sanusi has built infrastructure for innovation in Northern Nigeria.

CoLab is Kaduna’s first innovation hub, supporting developers and digital creatives. Through Aduna Capital, Sanusi now funds startups—especially those led by women—in healthtech, edtech, and agritech sectors.

These five innovators are not just building businesses—they are laying down the digital foundations of a new North.

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. At platforms like the Arewa Tech Fest, a regional innovation summit backed by public and private stakeholders, their work is being celebrated, scaled, and supported.

From coding labs to clean energy vehicles, the tech revolution in Northern Nigeria is being engineered by its own people—bold thinkers with local roots and global visions.

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Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, has announced a decisive shift towards sustainability by permitting only electric vehicles, effectively banning gasoline and diesel cars.

Minister Sime unveiled the comprehensive Logistics Master Plan, outlining a strategic roadmap for the implementation of “Green Transport” across the nation.

The government is set to enforce the prohibition rigorously, including conducting smoke tests on existing fossil-powered vehicles.

Ethiopia’s commitment extends beyond policy, with plans to establish a nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The government has been proactive, granting tax exemptions related to electric vehicles since 2022.

This ambitious decision is propelled by multiple factors, including the substantial €6 billion ($7.6 billion) spent on petrol and diesel imports in 2023 and rising pollution levels in city centers.

It also aligns with Ethiopia’s Ten Years Development Plan (2021-2030), aiming to have 152,800 electric vehicles on the roads by 2030.

Currently, out of 1.2 million total cars in Ethiopia, approximately 7,200 are electric.
However, key questions remain unanswered, such as the effective date of the prohibition and its potential impact on fossil-powered vehicles already in transit.

Moreover, concerns about the affordability of electric vehicles and the limited percentage of the population able to purchase them are crucial aspects that need to be addressed in this transformative transition.

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TECHDIGEST– The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced plans to install charging ports across its filling stations nationwide to charge electric vehicles, as part of moves to reduce carbon emissions.

It also said the company would be investing in Electric Vehicles to meet local demand, as the NNPCL was currently discussing with an indigenous firm involved in this.

The Managing Director, NNPC New Energy Ltd, Kanayochukwu Odoe, disclosed this in NNPCL’s latest quarterly publication released on Monday, and obtained by our correspondent in Abuja.

NNPC New Energy Ltd is the subsidiary of NNPCL involved in the development and advancement of renewables by the national oil company.

Also Read:EU and Japan to Deepen Tech Cooperation

Commenting on the plans of the oil firm in promoting the use of electric vehicles in NIgeria, Odoe said, “There are two things we are looking at. There is a start-up from Maiduguri that is into renewables and electric vehicles. It’s a Nigerian start-up.

“We are currently discussing with them to expand their capacity to meet local demand in Nigeria. It’s something I believe we should invest in not just because it’s our own, but also because they are doing something that hasn’t been done before, at least, in this part of the world. So, when we invest in the company, we can have a foothold in the electric vehicles market.

“The next part will be how to provide access to charging ports for the electric vehicles. We have NNPC Retail stations scattered around Nigeria, we are currently having a discussion on how to install charging points in the stations to serve electric vehicles. These are some of the things we are doing in that area.”

Odoe also stated that the company was currently working on a bio-diesel plant in Cross River State.

“We have signed an agreement with Kebbi State for a bio-ethanol plant. Also, we are currently in talks to transform waste into energy that can be used for electricity and cooking fuel. That way, we will reduce the felling of trees while reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere,” he stated.

Odoe further stated that the firm was looking at embarking on solar projects to supply power to the masses, especially in areas where the services of power distribution companies were in short supply.

“We are looking particularly at disadvantaged areas where the services of the electricity distribution companies are not present. We want to bridge that gap.

“Now, when we supply solar power to those disadvantaged areas, we will charge electricity bills. That’s something different that we are bringing on board that hasn’t been done before.

“On the second aspect of policy, we are now charting a proper cause to streamline ways to meet our global obligations as stipulated in the treaties and conventions that the government has committed to,” he stated.

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TECHDIGEST – Google will join automaker, Ford, in its initiative to turn an abandoned Detroit, Michigan train station into a research facility focused on EV and self-driving vehicles.

Google will provide cloud computing services and workforce training in local high schools and for local job-seekers to make the project benefit the community.

These education programmes will include a Code Next Lab, which will teach students computer science, as well as several partnerships with local nonprofits to offer its Google Career Certificate. The tech giant will open a lab on the 30-acre (12-hectare) site to carry this out.

The high-tech partnership underscores the auto industry’s investment in electric cars and connected, autonomous vehicles, a transition that could reach an inflection point this year.

Again, Detroit and the state of Michigan have agreed to provide infrastructure and other support for the Michigan Central Innovation District that will include the defunct train depot and other nearby buildings in the historic Corktown neighbourhood just outside downtown.

The state will provide over $126,000,000 worth of programming and resources, including infrastructure. Reports also state that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s office is working to designate a Transportation Innovation Zone in the district, with the goal to make it easier for small businesses and entrepreneurs to safely start and test projects.

The station, which looms over Corktown, has stood empty since the last train left in 1988 and came to symbolize Detroit’s long decline from America’s manufacturing powerhouse to its biggest municipal bankruptcy.

Google and Ford’s effort to leverage the station is a great move in ensuring innovation in the mobility sector, ultimately reducing pollution, congestion and improving the global living standards. The fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in vehicles are a drive to achieving resilience across the globe.

Source : Tech economy.ng

Link: https://techeconomy.ng/2022/02/google-ford-collaboratively-boost-electric-vehicle-innovation/

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