Startup Hub to Boost Youth Innovation, Digital Inclusion – Mrs Tinubu

The first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has said the Renewed Hope Startup Hub in Abuja would promote youth innovation, digital inclusion and entrepreneurship, providing young Nigerians opportunities to develop their ideas into marketable products.

She stated this during the foundation-laying ceremony for the facility in Wuye, Abuja yesterday.

The hub is a partnership between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

According to the first lady, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises youth empowerment through entrepreneurship, skills development and sustainable job creation.

In a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, she said the establishment of startup hubs across the country would help equip young Nigerians with the skills and opportunities needed to compete in the global economy.

“To our young innovators, this Start-Up Hub is yours. You can arrive here with a sketch and leave with a working prototype that takes you into the global market space. Let this hub be the home where your dreams are nurtured and scaled,” she said.

Mrs Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Japanese government, through JICA, for providing the strategic grant that made the project possible.

She said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to harnessing the potential of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and its young population.

In his remarks, the director-general and chief executive officer of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the agency’s partnership with JICA which began in 2021 had focused on strengthening Nigeria’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

He said the collaboration had covered capacity building, knowledge transfer, infrastructure development and international cooperation.

According to him, the proposed facility would serve as a centre for startup development, industry engagement and coordination within the innovation ecosystem.

He added that it would improve access to infrastructure, technical expertise, mentorship and opportunities for collaboration between Nigerian innovators and international partners.

Abdullahi put the investment in the innovation hub at approximately $10.4 million, depending on the conversion rate, adding that the project formed part of a broader Japan-Nigeria startup ecosystem support initiative involving complementary financing mechanisms.

Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, said his country was pleased to continue expanding its partnership with Nigeria, particularly in education and technology, in view of the improved economic atmosphere in the country.