NITDA Targets N3bn Investment Pipeline for Nigerian Startup

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled a strategy to connect Nigerian startups with investors, corporate organisations and potential customers, targeting a N3 billion investment pipeline for indigenous technology businesses.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this while delivering a keynote address at Moonshot 2026 in Lagos, where he called for a shift in Africa’s technology ecosystem from digital consumption to the creation of globally competitive innovations and enterprises.

Speaking on the theme, “Courage & Conviction — Building for a New World,” Inuwa said Africa’s technological future would depend on its capacity to develop homegrown solutions, intellectual property and sustainable businesses capable of competing in international markets.

“Africa’s next chapter will not be written by the technologies we consume. It will be written by the value we have the courage to create,” he declared.

The NITDA chief observed that despite the continent’s growing pool of technology talent, innovators continued to face challenges relating to infrastructure, financing, mentorship and access to markets. He said addressing the gaps required stronger collaboration among government institutions, universities, investors, technology companies and innovation hubs.

He said the agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0) was designed to strengthen the connections between digital talent and opportunities, research and commercialisation, startups and capital, as well as innovation and markets.

According to him, the agency is repositioning itself as an orchestrator of the digital ecosystem, with emphasis on ensuring that technology development translates into commercially viable businesses and measurable economic outcomes.

Inuwa urged stakeholders to move beyond the celebration of hackathons, pitch competitions and funding announcements, stressing that the success of an innovation ecosystem should be measured by the sustainability and impact of the enterprises it produces.

“The true measure of an innovation ecosystem is not how many startups it celebrates. It is how many sustainable enterprises it helps create,” he stated.

As part of efforts to improve market access and investment opportunities for local innovators, he announced the forthcoming Builders’ Festival at the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for November 10 to 12, 2026, in Abuja.

The initiative is expected to connect indigenous startups developing solutions to industry challenges with corporate organisations, investors and potential customers, with a target of mobilising a N3 billion investment pipeline for promising entrepreneurs. However, the target represents an investment mobilisation objective and not funding already secured.

The NITDA director-general also called for increased investment in indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, particularly in agriculture, healthcare, education, manufacturing and local-language technologies, warning against continued dependence on imported applications.

He urged investors to support promising local enterprises, while corporations were encouraged to create opportunities for startups to deploy their solutions in addressing business challenges. Government institutions, he added, must strengthen policies, infrastructure and strategic partnerships to support innovation.

Inuwa said Africa’s technological competitiveness would rest on innovation, trust and disciplined execution, adding that the continent must combine global ambition with the development of solutions that address local needs and create lasting economic opportunities.

“The future will not belong only to those who predict it. It will belong to those with the courage to build it, the conviction to sustain it, and the discipline to make it work,” he declared.

He challenged African innovators to demonstrate their capacity to build technologies and enterprises that could compete globally, rather than continue to question the continent’s ability to shape the future.

“Let us stop asking whether Africa can build the future. Let us start demonstrating how Africa will build it,” he said.