ISN Targets 10,000 Young Nigerians for Jobs, Skills as Innovation Hubs Expand Nationwide

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Innovation Support Network (ISN) on Thursday unveiled a plan to train and connect 10,000 young Nigerians to employment and innovation opportunities as it launched the Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report in Abuja.

The report, funded by GIZ Digital Transformation Center Nigeria with support from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, mapped more than 190 active innovation hubs across the country out of over 250 active and partially active spaces.

The launch, held at the NASENI Innovation Hub, brought together government officials, development partners, tech ecosystem players and innovation stakeholders to discuss the future of Nigeria’s digital economy and the challenges facing grassroots innovation centres.

Presenting the report, ISN Board Chairman, Engr. Hanson Johnson, said the study revealed a rapidly growing but fragmented innovation ecosystem driven largely by young and lean startups operating under difficult economic conditions.

According to him, Lagos accounted for 32 per cent of innovation hubs surveyed, while Abuja represented 16 per cent, with emerging clusters also identified in Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Rivers and Abia states.

He noted that most of the hubs were still in their early stages, with over 68 per cent operating with fewer than 10 full-time staff.

The report also identified ICT, software development, AgriTech, FinTech and EdTech as the dominant sectors within the ecosystem, accounting for about 60 per cent of hub activities nationwide.

Johnson said despite the growth being recorded, many innovation hubs remain financially vulnerable due to rising operational costs, unreliable electricity supply, poor internet connectivity and difficulty retaining skilled talent.

He disclosed that over 70 per cent of the hubs surveyed operate on annual revenues below $50,000.

Responding to questions from journalists, Johnson said ISN’s focus was shifting beyond training to direct economic opportunities for young Nigerians through a coordinated national innovation framework.

He said, “We want to train and connect 10,000 young Nigerians to opportunities. Not just training. The training is not the end game. Connecting them to opportunities, job creation.”

He explained that ISN was designing national programmes that would ensure equal access to quality innovation training across states rather than concentrating opportunities in major cities like Abuja and Lagos.

According to him, “Wherever you are, you take advantage of that program, and it is the same standard, the same quality, and the same curriculum.”

Johnson also stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government institutions and innovation hubs to bridge policy gaps and improve support for startups at state level.

He commended the Federal Government for implementing the Nigeria Startup Act but lamented that many states were yet to domesticate the framework, making it difficult for young innovators to access support structures at sub-national levels.

He said many startups were still unable to test products or scale innovations due to regulatory barriers, high licensing requirements and limited access to institutional support systems.

“It doesn’t make sense for you to have a N2 billion licence before you can build. There should be spaces where innovators can test ideas and products before scaling up,” he said.

Johnson further explained that ISN had become a major coordinating platform for innovation activities across Nigeria through its collaboration with agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, especially the National Information Technology Development Agency.

According to him, the network serves as a nationwide vehicle for reaching innovators in underserved communities and connecting them to programmes, funding and policy engagement opportunities.

Earlier, ISN Ecosystem Director, Emmanuel Gabriel, unveiled the organisation’s 2026 to 2030 strategic outlook aimed at transforming ISN into Nigeria’s leading innovation ecosystem platform.

The strategy focuses on regional activation, funding partnerships, policy engagement, governance reforms and knowledge exchange while targeting stronger inclusion for women, rural innovators and frontier communities.

The organisation also announced plans to support over 60 innovation hubs and 150 startups and MSMEs through funding access, investment readiness and market expansion initiatives.

Speaking at the event, National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, Mrs Victoria Fabunmi, described innovation hubs as critical structures for Nigeria’s digital economy.

She said, “Hubs are not peripheral to the ecosystem. They are the connective tissue between talent, capital, and opportunity.”

Fabunmi added that NITDA’s broader innovation agenda depended on the existence of strong and sustainable innovation support organisations across the country.

Also speaking, Commission Manager at GIZ Digital Transformation Center Nigeria, Dr. Thuweba Diwani, described the report as a major milestone for Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.

“This report is more than a document. It is a testament to the resilience, ambition, and growing sophistication of Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem,” she said.

Hosting the event, NASENI Innovation Hub Communications Manager, Olaoluwa Adewusi, said the facility was created to support strategic conversations and collaboration within Nigeria’s science, technology and innovation sectors.

The report is expected to serve as a policy framework for governments, investors and development organisations seeking to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation infrastructure and deepen technology-driven economic growth.