TECH DIGEST– Over 11,000 visionary startup founders eagerly vie for a spot in the National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) ihatch startup incubation program’s third cohort.

The Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, unveiled this surge in applications spanning all six geopolitical zones during the program’s 2nd cohort demo day and 3rd cohort opening ceremony in Abuja.

In a bid to bolster opportunities for Nigerian youth, Inuwa urged Japan to establish strategic talent partnerships, emphasizing the potential of Nigeria’s youthful population. The 5-month ihatch incubation program, conducted by the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) in collaboration with Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), aims to refine tech entrepreneurs’ ideas through coaching, lectures, and boot camps across Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Gombe, and Kano.

Notably, the previous cohorts yielded success stories, with 16 startups creating 179 direct jobs in agriculture, health, education, and e-commerce. Inuwa highlighted the agency’s commitment to implementing the Nigeria Startup Act, fostering innovation, and generating employment for the youth.

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment commended NITDA’s initiatives, echoing the call for Nigeria to become a global talent destination. JICA’s contributions to the tech ecosystem were also acknowledged. The Japanese Ambassador praised Nigerian startups’ resilience in addressing societal challenges and recognized digitization as pivotal for economic diversification.

The ihatch program’s impact was further exemplified by the cash prizes awarded to top startups at the event – Fundus AI securing $15,000 for the 1st position, Reno receiving $12,000 for the 2nd position, and Ilim Tutors earning $10,000 for the 3rd position. This gathering of public and private sector representatives underscores the collaborative effort to drive technological innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

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Digital Transformation: NITDA Engages Stakeholders In Digital Policy Dialogue

TECHDIGEST- As part of its continued effort at revitalising the nation’s startup ecosystem towards the sustainability of a digitally transformed nation, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has engaged relevant stakeholders within the tech ecosystem in a Digital Policy Dialogue with the intent of harnessing ideas for the effective implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA).

The Digital Policy Dialogue session, which was held last week Thursday at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos is aimed at creating a platform where inclusive and valuable insights are gathered from stakeholders to create a practical framework that will promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic growth within the Nigerian Startup ecosystem.

READALSO: Firm Unveils multiple digital channels 

The dialogue session which was organised by the GIZ/Digital Transformation Center Nigeria was designed to enhance policy implementation capacities in the digital innovation ecosystem, enhance stakeholder collaboration from various sectors, create an inclusive policy implementation framework as well as promote innovation and economic growth.

Speaking on the effect of NSA on Digital Transformation in Nigeria while delivering the closing remark, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE gave an overview of the NSA and its benefit as well as opportunities it will provide to the Nigerian youths and the nation as a whole.

The DG who was represented by his Special Adviser on Digital Transformation, Dr. Aminu Lawal, stated that the NSA was passed in October 2022 to create a more favourable environment for Startups in Nigeria.

“The Act provides for several benefits for Startups including Tax incentives, access to seed funds, grants and loans, protection of intellectual property, talent development and capacity building and, regulatory support among others”, he noted.

While lauding the enactment of the Act as a step towards the right direction for the nation’s startup ecosystem, Inuwa further stated that the Act would increase visibility for Nigerian startups which would consequently attract both foreign and domestic investment, create jobs and boost innovation.

He mentioned that the NSA would have a significant impact on People, Processes and Technology which are the three pillars of digital transformation.

Buttressing his point with more holistic insights on NSA’s impact on people, Inuwa disclosed that training and mentorship provided by the Act would enable the required skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the digital age. He added that “this will help to create a more skilled workforce in the digital sector and boost the digital economy”.

Enumerating further on the Act’s impact on Processes, he said that “the Act’s provisions for support and access to funds would help startups to develop and deliver digital services that will digitize the processes of their customers from different sectors”.

Speaking on the last pillar, Technology, the NITDA boss stated that the Act would lead to the exploration of emerging technologies in developing solutions that will attract investment in digital solutions.

He further opined that the Act would increase access to data, improve collaboration between startups and the government, and also, improve access to digital services.

While pledging to work with relevant stakeholders across all sectors of the economy to make startup support services available as well as increasing all indices necessary for the development of more market-creating innovative-driven enterprises, Inuwa urged all stakeholders to take the implementation of the NSA as a collective responsibility.

“To make the most out of the provisions of the Startup Act, we are committed to strengthening collaboration with public sector stakeholders and entrepreneurs to proactively, anticipate disruptive innovations and their implications, build capacity and a conducive environment to unlock their potential and recognize new niches for industries. This way, stakeholders will invest in our creative entrepreneurial population, while also building bridges towards achieving sustainable and inclusive growth”, he concluded.

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The Nigerian government has completed the first draft of the National Policy on Artificial Intelligence, which will soon be transmitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The policy was co-created by a team from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and 63 industry experts, who were selected from 351 volunteers from Nigeria and abroad. The volunteers contributed to seven major areas covered by the policy, including education, finance, health, media and telecommunications, labour and productivity, general and special issues, and security.

READALSO: Binance Supports African Currencies For Direct Cryptocurrency Transactions

Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of NITDA, commended the volunteer group for their exceptional work in developing the policy. He emphasised the potential of artificial intelligence to transform industries, save lives, and revolutionise the world, but also highlighted the risks associated with it, such as bias, privacy violations, and job displacement. Inuwa stated that the policy would guide the development and deployment of AI in Nigeria and an implementation strategic plan would be drafted to ensure that the policy achieves its purpose.

Inuwa explained that NITDA initiated the process of co-creating the policy because the agency strongly believes that the government can do some things that the ecosystem cannot and vice versa. He noted that consultants are often engaged to draft policies, but they lack the technical know-how of the subject matter, which is why the procurement processes always give them an edge over industry experts. However, the volunteers have achieved a commendable result-oriented approach to engage them, he added.

Inuwa assured the volunteers that the agency would send them letters of commendation, as no amount of money could assuage the commitment they put into drafting the policy. Emmanuel Edet, the head of NITDA Legal Unit, expressed the agency’s appreciation to the volunteer experts and requested their response when they are called upon again. The NITDA Secretariat will now take over and continue working on the document’s design to get it ready for publication

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TECHDIGEST– Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said that his Agency is working with other stakeholders towards creating an irreversible transformative change in the way people live and work in the country, especially with the widespread of evolution and adoption of the 4th Industrial Revolution globally.

Inuwa said this at the 7th College of Fellows Roundtable Symposium of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), held in Abuja.

Represented by the Director IT Infrastructure Solutions Department, Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi, Inuwa noted that 4th Industrial Revolution has created opportunities for most existing Engineers and people to stand out in their respective fields, with a view to becoming drivers of innovation, creating new inventions to press global challenges.

READALSO: NITDA: Nigeria’s Economy Will Undergo a Digital Transition

“In the past decade, as large projects require more companies and stakeholders to work together across time zones around the world, new ways of workings are demanding more seamless connections and faster access to real time information, that ushered in the next significant transformation which is cloud”.

“NITDA, as the nations apex I T regulatory body, believed that it will be difficult for Nigerians to catch up with its developmental pursuit without developing engineering and technology professions,” he said.

He added that, “Our Scientists, Engineers and Technologists are critical to solving our societal problems and challenges.

“The focus of Engineering is the making of things and work efficiently and effectively by applying the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economic solutions to technical problems” he maintained.

Inuwa also averred the role of Engineers as critical to the well being of human existence, cognizance of their innovative, maintaining of products and system equipment, thereby making a country habitable for the citizenry.
He also commended the resilience of Engineers, Architects and the construction industries in the last 41 years in changing the narrative towards attaining the accelerated Digitally Transformed sector.

“It started with Digitalisation, which is transition from paper drawings and analogue processes to digital tools and later computer system designs.

“As Digitalisation was ongoing, Architects encountered increasingly complex design problems, such as global growing population, urbanization and climate change”, he noted.
Inuwa admonished participants the imperative of keying into the current realities of the Digitalisation agenda, as the process needs holistic evaluation and approach by relevant actors, so as to make it more beneficial to the future.
“On the Digitalisation agenda, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) has been strategically set towards transforming the country into a leading Digital Economy; providing quality life and digital economies for all. And also, a mission of building a nation where digital innovation and entrepreneurship will be used to create value and prosperity for all,” he added.

The NITDA Boss enumerated eight pillars on which the policy/strategy is anchored, which are; Developmental Regulation, Digital Literacy and Skills, Solid Infrastructure, Service Infrastructure. Other pillars are Digital Services Development and Prevention, Soft Infrastructure, Digital Society and Emerging Technologies and lastly Indigenous Content Development and Adoption.

He added that, “these pillars apply to Engineering sector and every other sector in Nigeria. Digital Technology is at the heart of the engineering sectors, regulations and Engineering Literacy and Skills should be driven by digital technology.”

On the challenges the Engineering sector may face, Inuwa identify the demand for new skills in place, for the 4th Industrial Revolution, as some jobs including Engineering will disappear and new ones will emerge.

He urged the Enginners to constantly update themselves with new trends such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, as the future remains unpredictable, as digitalisation has provided businesses and organisations with a better view of what the future could look like, with the endless possibilities offered by technology.

The DG was amongst recipients of NSE Honorary Awards conferred on selected individuals and corporate bodies, for their contribution to the development of the highest Engineering regulatory body in the country.

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TECH DIGEST– “Fintech tops the list [of Nigerian startups solving some challenges] because financial inclusion is critical to the economy and it is closely followed by e-Health, eduTech, Logistics and Mobility,” the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi told international audience at the just ended GITEX GLOBAL organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) during an industry vertical conference where the agency was honoured with the high-status ‘Most Valued Partnership Award’.

The award is coming on the heels of recognition accorded  the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami earlier in the week with the prestigious DWTC Leadership and Commitment Award 2022. 

READ ALSO: NITDA, Nigerian Delegation, Start-Ups Get Deals, Praises as GITEX 2022 Ends

The minister was honoured at the end of a discussion on ‘Digital Inclusion: Aligning Regulators and Network Providers to Bridge Digital Divide’ – of the several vertical industry sessions that make up the 5-day tech show now regarded as the world’s largest startup and tech event.

According to Abdullahi, “in Nigeria, more than 36% of the startups are in fintech sub-sector which explains why fintech is thriving as they are creating hundreds and thousands of jobs.”

He listed 15 major sectors where Nigerian startups play key roles and are solving some challenges with their indigenous solutions which have global impact. But the fintech industry leads in a way that has redefined the banking sector and deepen financial inclusion.

The NITDA boss said Nigeria has five unicorns out of the seven in Africa and an additional three unicorns might be recorded anytime soon.

His words: “That means before the end of this year, we are hoping to have between eight to nine unicorns in Nigeria. Some of them have huge capital base; In fact, one of them has more than $3.5B valuation which is a fintech with valuation almost twice as the biggest bank in the country.”

Government is trying to give a level playing field to all startups by creating an enabling environment for them, he told his audience.

“As a government, we have a foundational policy to help the startup which is called: National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria and my agency, NITDA, which is one of the agencies responsible for implementing the policy crafted our own Strategy Roadmap and Action Plan ((SRAP) which has seven strategic pillars; all of these policies are geared towards creating a workable environment for our startups,” the NITDA boss said.

The award ceremony was part of headline activities at GITEX GLOBA in recognition of NITDA’s “excellent services at the annual tech show.”

The award presentation was preceded by a panel discussion where the Abdullahi and his Ethiopian counterpart from the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Selamyhun Adefris Haile deliberated on the topics: ‘What is the attraction of the startup ecosystem in Africa’ and ‘What is the government’s Strategies?’

The NITDA boss used the opportunity to reiterate his agency’s adoption of developmental regulation to co-create with the tech ecosystem. He said Nigeria was about to sign a Startup Bill into law as an Act of Parliament once it is assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigeria will in Africa at the forefront of bridging the global talent gap, Abdullahi stressed;

His words: “If Africa, Nigeria in particular positions itself well, we can bridge that talent gap; the talent industry is projected to create about $8.5 Trillion revenue by 2030, so any country that positions itself to bridge that gap will be among the top economies in the world.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the agency, he expressed NITDA’s willingness to continue to work with the DWTC in promoting the local tech community in Nigeria.

Source : ITedgenews

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TECHDIGEST– Following the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned Nigerians and ministries, divisions, and agencies (MDAs) of a probable increase in cyber-attacks in the country.

In a statement, Hadiza Umar, the head of external relations, claimed the war had increased attacks on companies and government institutions. According to the spokesperson, countries conducting business in or with the two countries face a larger risk. The Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) of the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) encouraged MDAs and Nigerians to take safeguards.

READ ALSO: Digital Economy: NITDA DG Engages Spanish Investors on Nigeria’s Soaring Market

In a related development, two Nigerian technological start-ups, Paddy Cover and Pricepally.com, have won the $200,000 Lagos talent event hosted by the Dubai World Trade Centre, while TruQ was named Lagos State champion at the pre-GITEX programme. GITEX is a yearly consumer electronics and computer trade fair exhibition and conference held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai. Mayowa Owolabi and Tobi Obasa’s insuretech startup, Paddy Cover, and Luther Lawoyin’s food sourcing and distribution tech firm, Pricepally, as well as Williams Fatayo’s TruQ, knocked out 24 other candidates who submitted their concepts to six judges at the event.

Kashifu Abdullahi, Director-General (DG) of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), spoke at the event and vowed continued support for young Nigerians with start-ups in various forms in order to catalyze the entire ecosystem toward developing a digital economy.

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Two Nigerian technology start-ups, Paddy Cover and Pricepally.com, have emerged as winners of the Dubai World Trade Centre’s $200,000 Lagos talent show.

At the event, TruQ emerged as the EIC and Lagos State winner. The two winners are set to head on all-expense-paid trip to Dubai to pitch their idea to investors and technology ecosystem players at the GITEX 2022 exhibition for a chance to win $200,000.

In a statement, organisers of the event said the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition is an annual consumer computer and electronics trade show exhibition and conference that takes place in Dubai at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullah, who was represented by Head of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr Aristotle Onumo, said, “As regards this particular program, the North Star is trying to take advantage of the program to expose our start-ups, while NITDA is partnering with GITEX.

“What is happening now will happen in Dubai, but the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Government are represented here today.

“They have come to Nigeria to be able to harness the innovative skills already within Nigeria to start early marketing of the two to be selected and connecting them with various investors across the globe so that even before they get to GITEX proper, they would have had a kind of visibility.”

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Technology, Tumbosun Alake, added, “The initiative is to give opportunities to our ecosystem start-ups with better access to local and foreign markets.

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TECHDIGEST – Technological advancement has led the world to a whole new level. Cybercrime has also become more sophisticated and taken a worrisome dimension under the new normal.

Internet crime range from romance scams to email compromised fraud, identity theft, impersonation, and generating fake business transactions that cost millions of Naira.

According to the United Nations, Cybercrime is any criminal activity that uses Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to commit crimes or where a computer or computer network is the object of the cybercriminal.

Cybercrime can take the form of fraudulent emails, identity theft, harassment, spamming, or ATM spoofing. Every year, over $500 million is lost by businesses and individuals in Nigeria due to cybercrime.

Cyber fraud, locally known as Yahoo-Yahoo in Nigeria has undergone an evolution in recent years. Some of these fraudsters seek metaphysical powers from herbalists that they believe can help them hypnotize or control their victims. This group of boys is commonly called ‘Yahoo Plus’ or ‘G-boys’.

Cybercrime, digital racket, computer fraud, and all it is called, has become a raging fire leaving many individuals and organisations at a great loss.

There is hardly a week that goes by without the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not parading young people over cyber fraud or some of them convicted and sentenced to jail for similar crimes.

Internet crime often results in extreme damages, as it involves the theft of financial resources, intellectual property, or personal information, and it targets senior citizens and the vulnerable (both local and foreign).

READ ALSO: Cybersecurity: Senate Committee to engage Tech firm on Capacity building

Mostly, Individuals are driven towards cybercrime by unemployment and the desire for quick wealth but that cannot justify it as an activity worth venturing into.

Nigeria’s government, businesses, and the international community have coordinated their efforts to minimize cybercrime by increasing public awareness of cyber fraud, improving personal security, establishing anti-scam centers and so on but still the illicit act is not abating at all.

To most of these criminally-minded individuals, digital manipulation has become a new normal as the word ‘minimize’ is used in the digital space instead of ‘eradicate’.

So, these tech-savvy criminals are always devising novel tricks to commit more to attack the unsuspecting users of online platforms.

However, it is imperative to acknowledge that repentant cybercriminals could be rehabilitated to serve as anti-cybercrime vigilantes and help to fight the menace.

Internet crime is a criminal offense and no one can validate it as a positive impact on society. But when the expression `Yahoo-Yahoo’ has become a trending fashion that is breeding more cybercriminals daily, then the best option is to create an anti-cybercrime hub to fight against all forms of cyber criminality.

Within the first quarter of 2022, the EFCC arrested 402 suspected cyber fraudsters from Lekki, 17 from Benin-City, and still counting across the country. Concerns are rife that in the nearest future, cybercriminals may constitute the largest proportion of inmates serving terms in our correctional centres/facilities.

As strange as it may sound, an individual with low intelligence cannot go into cybercrime. Although the illegal use of technology is deemed criminal and is punishable under the law, such legislation should be amended to use these criminals to fight the scourge.

Many people believe that the best way to catch a criminal is to use a criminal.

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) is constitutionally responsible for ensuring the safe custody of offenders as well as their reformation, rehabilitation, and re-integration. Under Decree No. 9 of 1972, correctional facilities are entrusted with the responsibility to train and educate prisoners to become useful and law-abiding citizens after their release.

In this regard, rehabilitation of inmates through vocational skills has helped a lot of them to become productive, further their education, engage in farming, and other different trades.

If inmates in correctional centres can contribute to the betterment of themselves and society, then digital criminals stand a chance to take a new turn in life for the better.

According to the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Nigeria loses almost N78 billion ($214 million) every year through cybercrimes.

He also raised concerns over the spate of cyber threats on individuals, businesses, financial institutions, government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) as well as their affiliates.

With appropriate channels of awareness, these inmates with closure can educate the public on the precautionary measures and other hints that would save people from falling victims to the antics of cybercriminals.

Cybercriminals are already digitally savvy, tech hubs should be introduced in correctional centres. The availability of appropriate facilities and firm supervision will motivate inmates to acquire capacity in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, robotics, e-learning, and others.

With their level of tech intelligence, they could bring about or develop innovative solutions to counter the activity of cybercriminals.

Within a robust security system in place, rehabilitated cybercriminals would be able to produce programs, design software, code to restrain viruses and malware attacks, and bulletproof hacking.

Furthermore, they can train the public on how to stop hackers from gaining access to social security data, online accounts, bank accounts, or other sensitive data, so that they don’t expose their businesses to cyber threats. This will engage them towards self-development, and contribute to the progress of society as well.

The federal government’s effort in the rehabilitation of inmates is commendable but there is still a lot more to be done. The rehabilitation of repentant/surrendered Boko Haram, bandits-terrorists, and other inmates is a good structure to ensure offenders face proper punishment for their atrocities and still serve the interest of society.

It is difficult but safe to acknowledge that reforming cybercriminals and training them to contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy would be a turning point for stakeholders and society as a whole.

In the final analysis, NITDA, alongside relevant agencies like EFCC, NCoS, and others should create a central platform for monitoring the rehabilitation of cybercrime inmates. This will ensure that such inmates do not take advantage of the situation to abuse the process and use technology to harm the system.

Zeenat O. Sambo writes in from Abuja

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Kashifu Tasks South-South Youths on Innovation, Entrepreneurship for Job Creation

TECHDIGEST – The Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu challenged youths from the South-south geopolitical region to utilize their God-given talents through digital innovations to become entrepreneurs and job creators.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, represented by Dr. Salihu Abdulkareem of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, made this remark during the south-south HACKATHON challenge for young and innovative minds from the region held at the Senate Chambers of the University of Calabar.

He explained that “driving digital innovation and entrepreneurship by challenging Nigeria’s youth to create and develop solutions from inception to commercialization will, no doubt, boost the country’s economy.”

The challenge’s theme is “Innovation-Driven Ideas for addressing local challenges in Health, Government, Transportation, Financial Services and Smart city in Nigeria for Social and Economic Development.”

The DG asserted that digital innovation and entrepreneurship would help fast-track the recovery of other traditional economic sectors by supporting the provision and adoption of indigenous and tailor-made solutions for nationwide implementation of the policy through automation, intelligent processes, and ICT solutions.

He further revealed that NITDA Hackathon 2022 aims to find solutions towards building a digital Nigeria, adding that talented Nigerians are challenged to come up with clearly defined ideas and prototypes of solutions around agriculture, logistics, and security for the swift growth and development of the country.

According to Kashifu, “African continent is full of problems waiting to be solved, this presents the next biggest market worldwide. Nigeria, in particular, has a rapidly growing youthful population by which taking advantage of the market will lead to the creation of jobs, solutions, and revenue flow for the country”, he added.

The DG maintained that collective responsibility is needed to achieve the positive impacts, for which the nation yearns for solutions. He encouraged the young innovators not to relent in their various efforts towards tackling the problems bedeviling the country, saying that such solutions will go a long way in addressing development issues.

He appeals to teeming youths from the region to always showcase their talents which will serve as channels for solutions to some of the problems that require immediate panacea.

He revealed that the program also provides an avenue for young Nigerians to contribute their quota in the solution-finding and provides opportunities for creating jobs both directly and indirectly, keying into the Digital Economy policy that will facilitate the swift growth and development of the country.

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Calabar, Professor Florence Banji Obi, ably represented by Professor Idingesit Akpabio, Chairman, Committee of Deans, the University of Calabar, in her earlier remarks, appreciated NITDA for choosing the University of Calabar for the program. She commended the initiatives and the manner of their implementation across the country for the growth of our nation.

She commented that technology is changing how we do things and has fast-tracked operations processes. “Programs like this are needed to keep the young people busy solving the problems faced by the country, more so that such programs give an avenue for teeming youth to showcase their talents which will help solve those challenges,” she added.

Prof. Obi encouraged participants not to stop at solution finding after this program but to go further in actualizing what they have started, which she believes will bring about solutions to the problems faced in the country.

Winners from the pitching context received cash prizes ranging from N1.5million for the overall Winners, N1 million for the first runner-ups, and N500,000 to the second runner-ups as the 3-day event came to a close with fanfare and beautiful memories.

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for a more robust collaboration between the agency and local start-ups, towards the promotion of indigenous content in the ICT sector.

The promotion of indigenous content which is one of the strategic pillars of the Agency’s Strategic Road Map and Action Plan 2021-2024 was designed specifically to create opportunities for the development of homegrown solutions to meet the country’s needs as well as create wealth for the nation.

Speaking at the virtual maiden edition of the Innovation Ecosystem Engagement, the Agency’s Director-General, Kashifu Abdullahi, said that Nigeria cannot be great globally if it does not build locally.

The DG who expressed his excitement at the prospects of the event stated that it was geared towards listening to active startup ecosystem players and proffering solutions on how NITDA can collaborate to mitigate the challenges being faced by the ecosystem.

Abdullahi described the tech ecosystems as a ‘home’, and stated that he understood the frustrations and challenges of local startups in the country because that was where he started from.

“I started very early when I was in 200 level. I perfectly understand how rough the journey is. I know how important it is to have enabling policies and infrastructure and how painful it is to fail”, he averred.

He, however, disclosed that currently, he has taken it upon himself to utilize all resources and opportunities at his disposal to make the tech ecosystem a more viable and better one.

Inuwa, while giving assurances of the present administration’s support towards the tech ecosystem, highlighted policies enacted such as the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy in 2019, the National Broadband Plan in 2020, the draft Start-up’s bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly in 2021 and the launch of the 5G policy which was developed to create enabling environments for start-ups to thrive.

The NITDA boss expressed his delight at the achievement attained by the local start-ups in building the most investment appealing ecosystem in Africa, attracting over $1.5 billion, a figure which he claimed represented 35 percent of total investments in Africa in 2021 but urged them to take it to the global level.

“This is unprecedented, but for me, there is no passion playing small and settling for leading only in Africa if we can compete globally”, he opined.

The DG disclosed that the Agency is currently rebranding and recalibrating its activities to align with the ecosystem, noting that “a symbiotic relationship with local start-ups is essential to foster the economic development of the country.”

“You need the government and the government needs you and together we can do great things. Together we can redefine, create and shape our tomorrow”, he concluded.

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