By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to strengthen innovation hubs across Nigeria into stronger engines of entrepreneurship and job creation, as it moves to extend the benefits of the digital economy beyond the country’s major technology centres.
The disclosure was made recently in Abuja by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, during the National Innovation Hub Standards Framework Validation Workshop, where he explained that greater investment in technology hubs, innovation spaces and ecosystem builders had become necessary to equip young entrepreneurs with the skills, networks, mentorship and infrastructure required to build sustainable businesses.
Tijani said strengthening local innovation ecosystems would enable young Nigerians to develop solutions to local challenges while creating employment opportunities and supporting economic diversification.
He noted that the success recorded by prominent Nigerian technology companies had demonstrated the potential embedded in the country’s innovation ecosystem, but argued that greater attention needed to be paid to the hubs and communities that help entrepreneurs develop their ideas.
Drawing from his experience managing a technology hub, the minister stressed the importance of spaces where young people could access knowledge, mentorship, networks and other forms of support.
“Imagine if we had all the hubs in Nigeria at the same level of quality as the best hubs in the country. There would be more technology businesses, more innovation and better opportunities across the country,” he said.
Tijani maintained that investment in digital infrastructure must be matched by investment in the people and institutions capable of converting connectivity into economic opportunities.
He noted that the government was already expanding digital infrastructure through investments in fibre-optic connectivity, telecommunications infrastructure and satellite technology, while also developing other segments of the digital ecosystem, including digital identity and cloud infrastructure.
However, he warned that these investments would yield limited impact if innovation hubs lacked the resources and capacity to attract and retain skilled people.
The Minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of innovation activities remaining largely concentrated in Lagos, Abuja and a limited number of other states, leaving many communities without access to the networks and support available in Nigeria’s leading technology centres.
Speaking at the same event, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, disclosed that the agency had identified more than 339 innovation hubs across the country, although a significant number remained concentrated in Lagos, Abuja and about 10 other states.
He added that some hubs outside these major centres were still operating mainly as training centres and required additional support to evolve into full innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship centres.
Inuwa explained that the proposed National Innovation Hub Standards Framework would provide hubs with a structured way to assess their capabilities, identify gaps and improve their operations, without imposing rigid requirements on operators.
“Innovation does not happen in isolation; it happens in an ecosystem. And that ecosystem does not happen by accident; it happens by design,” he said.
According to Inuwa, the framework contains seven key dimensions and about 35 assessment categories that hubs can use to evaluate their level of development and identify areas requiring improvement.
He said a stronger network of hubs would allow communities to harness local talent, develop solutions to local problems and build businesses, without forcing young innovators to relocate to Lagos or Abuja to access the necessary ecosystem.
The NITDA boss further called for greater private-sector participation in providing risk capital, insisting that government alone could not sustainably finance the growth of startups and emerging businesses.
He identified talent, risk capital, large corporations and government as key pillars of a functional innovation ecosystem and urged stronger collaboration among the stakeholders.
Inuwa also called for deeper links between universities and industry, stating that higher institutions should play a more active role in research, entrepreneurship, digital skills development and partnerships with businesses.
He disclosed that NITDA was already working with the Federal Ministry of Education to integrate digital skills into formal education, with the aim of preparing graduates to participate more effectively in the digital economy.
The standards framework, according to the agency, remains a draft, with NITDA seeking contributions from hub founders, investors, development partners, government institutions, academia and other stakeholders before its finalisation.
The initiative, stakeholders say, is intended to strengthen innovation ecosystems across the country and give young Nigerians greater access to the support needed to turn ideas into sustainable businesses, potentially widening the geographic base of technology-driven growth beyond the country’s current innovation strongholds.
