The National Information Technology Development Agency has secured a grant of JPY 1.6 billion (approximately USD 12.1 million) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the establishment of a major startup hub in Abuja.
In a statement released on Thursday, NITDA confirmed the official signing of the agreement with JICA during a ceremony at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja.
The move was hailed as a major boost to Japan-Nigeria bilateral ties and as a definite indicator of both nations’ ambition in promoting entrepreneurship and digital transformation.
NITDA emphasized that the Abuja startup hub aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reposition Nigeria as a continental leader in the digital economy.
The project’s goals are to create jobs, encourage private sector investment, and promote inclusive economic growth over its five-year, eight-month duration, which runs from April 2025 to December 2030.
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority will collaborate with NITDA to ensure effective implementation of the initiative, which is expected to become a cornerstone of Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem.
Commenting on the longstanding relationship between NITDA and JICA, NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, highlighted the success of their joint initiatives such as the iHatch programme, an idea incubation scheme co-designed by both agencies.
“We have been collaborating with them on so many initiatives like iHatch. The pilot we did resulted in creating over 117 direct jobs and more than 370 indirect jobs, and now we are working together with them to expand it to all 36 states and the FCT,” Inuwa said.
He explained that the iHatch initiative offers six months of incubation for Nigerian startups, leveraging JICA’s global expertise to transform promising ideas into market-ready products.
Inuwa further disclosed that NITDA and JICA are still striving to establish connections between the tech ecosystems of Nigeria and Japan.
This includes financing local entrepreneurs to attend tech events in Japan and provide networking opportunities.
