The Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to positioning the country as a global leader in technology innovation and entrepreneurship.
This assertion was made by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullah during the closing ceremony of the iHATCH startup incubation programme’s third cohort in Abuja.
Abdullah said the programme, a joint initiative of NITDA and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to cultivate a thriving tech ecosystem in Nigeria.
“This partnership is a major step forward in Nigeria’s endeavors to promote innovation and entrepreneurship and it is in line with NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), specifically to “Forge Strategic Partnership and Collaboration” and “Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.”
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Inuwa said in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s priority area of Accelerating Diversification through Industrialisation, Digitisation, Creative Arts, Manufacturing and Innovation, “IHatch programme is fostering a thriving ecosystem for startups, empowering the next generation of tech innovators in Nigeria.”
The NITDA boss, while maintaining that one of the success stories of the iHatch programme is the creation of jobs, he noted that “Because of the success of cohort one and two, we decided to expand cohort 3 to five locations – Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Gombe.
The Director General recalled that the programme, which started in 2022 was designed to tackle social issues with innovative and creative solutions, generate employment opportunities, and boost Nigeria’s economic development.
On his part, the Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, stated that Japan is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria during his remarks.
He emphasised that Japan’s support extends beyond mere technical assistance but focuses on building partnerships that facilitate knowledge exchange.
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