The UK- Nigeria tech hub is set to launch intervention programmes to support Nigeria’s tech eco-system and engage start-ups to tackle economic challenges caused by coronavirus.
The move followed its recently concluded survey in the country on start-ups and investors, to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other preventive protocols on their businesses.
A statement by the British High Commission’s Head of Public Relations, Amaka Eze, indicated that the objective of the survey is to understand how COVID-19 has affected early-stage start-up revenue, growth and fundraising.
It is also to further gain insights on new strategies that would better support start-ups during and post-COVID-19.
According to results from the survey, the pandemic and the lockdown economy continue to affect start-ups in different ways, forcing them to re-evaluate business models, disrupting the value chain, and re-assessing fund-raising plans, amongst others.
The Country Director, UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Honey Ogundeyi said: “In April 2020, the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub surveyed the tech-sector to better understand how start-ups are adapting in this unprecedented time.
“Respondents to the survey, ranged from pre-seed to Series A companies, in tech-sectors including agriculture, education, financial services, health, amongst others. Our goal with this survey was to provide insights to help identify the interventions and support most beneficial to start-ups in Nigeria and to offer more insightful guidance to the Nigerian start-up community and other key stakeholders”, the technology expert added
He said the UK will continue to focus our work on three key areas: programmes we can put in place to drive the recovery agenda; how we can create long-term prosperity; and the capacity and digital skills programmes to support Nigeria’s digital sector.
Ogundeji hinted that in the coming weeks, the Hub, through these intervention programmes, will support Nigeria’s Tech Eco-system and help to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on start-ups, investors and businesses.
