The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to forging strategic international partnerships aimed at accelerating innovation, enhancing digital infrastructure, and empowering Nigerian startups. This was the highlight of a recent high-level engagement held at NITDA’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, who participated virtually due to a scheduled follow-up meeting with Google in the United States on investments in national sovereign infrastructure, was represented at the meeting by Mr. Oladejo Olawumi, Director of the Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions Department.
The engagement featured discussions with Mr. Hiro Mashita, founder of SGgrow, a global investment firm focused on supporting promising Nigerian startups and connecting them with international opportunities.
Inuwa emphasized NITDA’s proactive approach to global collaboration, particularly highlighting the agency’s existing partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He revealed that a major innovation project supported by JICA would soon be launched in Abuja, alongside ongoing collaboration with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to establish a dedicated fund for innovation.
He noted the success of the iHatch initiative, an incubation programme co-designed with JICA, which created over 117 direct jobs and 370 indirect jobs during its pilot phase. Plans are underway to expand the initiative across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, providing Nigerian startups with six months of incubation and access to JICA’s resources and expertise.
“NITDA and JICA are actively building bridges between the Nigerian and Japanese tech ecosystems. This includes facilitating networking opportunities and sponsoring Nigerian startups to engage in programmes in Japan,” Inuwa stated.
He also commended SGgrow’s vision, saying it aligns perfectly with NITDA’s mandate of using technology to drive national development and inclusivity. “Your presentation reflects what we stand for as an agency. Our goal is to build a strong startup ecosystem that can fuel national prosperity,” he said.
Inuwa added that NITDA is developing a repository of compliant startups to promote transparency and attract government-backed incentives, including a potential investment matching fund. The agency is also collaborating with Google to establish critical sovereign digital infrastructure.
The DG expressed NITDA’s interest in working with SGgrow to develop a joint framework that could also involve JICA. “We’re open to a cooperative framework that encourages participation from Japanese investors, startups, and stakeholders. Our focus is on collaboration, not competition,” he noted.
In his remarks, Mr. Hiro Mashita shared SGgrow’s mission of identifying high-potential Nigerian startups and providing them with long-term growth support. He proposed joint projects to strengthen Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, including possible collaborations that could enhance stock exchange participation and foster intergovernmental investment relationships.
This engagement underscored NITDA’s commitment to leveraging international partnerships to drive Nigeria’s digital transformation, stimulate economic growth, and foster an inclusive and innovative tech ecosystem.
