Oluremi Tinubu Flags Off $10.4m NITDA Innovation Hub

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has flagged off the construction of the $10.4 million Renewed Hope Innovation Hub, a five-storey facility designed to support start-ups and technology-driven businesses.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is implementing the project with a grant from the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Tinubu performed the foundation-laying ceremony on Friday in Abuja. She described the project as a major step towards technological advancement, youth empowerment and digital inclusion.

According to her, the facility will give young Nigerians access to tools and resources needed to turn innovative ideas into marketable products and businesses.

“To our young innovators, this Startup Hub is yours. You can arrive here with a sketch and leave with a working prototype that takes you into the global market space,” she said.

The First Lady commended Japan and JICA for supporting the initiative. She said the partnership showed confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy and the potential of its young population.

She also charged NITDA to make the facility accessible to young people across the country when it becomes operational.

NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the project represented an investment in the creativity and entrepreneurial capacity of Nigerian youths.

He said the agency wanted to extend innovation opportunities beyond established technology centres such as Lagos and Abuja.

Abdullahi said this would enable more young Nigerians to build businesses, develop new products and create jobs from different parts of the country.

He disclosed that more than 300 companies had received training under the Digital Export Acceleration Programme, while 995 start-ups had benefited from initiatives under the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI).

The NITDA chief said the supported start-ups had created about 7,596 jobs within three years. He added that the WE-Elevate initiative had reached 1,752 women-led micro, small and medium enterprises.

He also highlighted the iHatch programme, which NITDA developed with JICA to support early-stage businesses and strengthen innovation hubs across the country.

According to him, 333 start-ups have benefited from iHatch Cohorts Four and Five. The programme has also trained 74 hub managers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The initiative is expected to hold a national demonstration day in November 2026. Selected start-ups will use the event to showcase their businesses and innovations.

Abdullahi further disclosed that the IgniteHer programme had trained 224 female-owned small and medium enterprises. It also sponsored 12 participants to Japan, while one beneficiary secured a $500,000 grant.

He attributed the expansion of NITDA’s innovation programmes to its growing cooperation with Japan.

The NITDA director-general also revealed that JICA and the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) were working on a proposed $50 million start-up seed fund.

The fund seeks to address financing challenges confronting businesses at the early stages of development.

JICA and NSIA are expected to contribute $14 million each, while co-investors would provide the remaining $22 million.

Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Hideo Suzuki, said the innovation hub formed part of a wider partnership aimed at strengthening start-up policies and improving access to capital and infrastructure.

He said Japanese support would help early-stage businesses develop solutions to social challenges while contributing to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

“Japan’s support for Nigerian startups encompasses three interconnected pillars,” Suzuki said.

He said the partnership would focus particularly on businesses developing solutions in healthcare, education and agriculture.

Suzuki also encouraged stronger collaboration between Nigerian entrepreneurs and Japanese companies to expand opportunities within the innovation ecosystem.

The JICA representative in Nigeria, Ishigame Keiji, said the hub would provide young Nigerians with an environment to transform creative ideas into sustainable businesses.

He said the facility’s digital fabrication centres would support manufacturing-oriented start-ups, while shared workspaces would encourage collaboration among entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

Keiji stressed that sustained commitment and cooperation would remain essential to achieving the project’s goals of promoting innovation, industrial diversification and economic growth.

The project forms part of NITDA’s implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act, which seeks to strengthen the country’s start-up ecosystem and establish Nigeria as a leading innovation centre in Africa.

The project’s executive summary puts the Japanese grant at 1.634 billion yen, equivalent to about $10.4 million.

The five-storey facility will consist of a ground floor and four additional floors. Construction is expected to run for 18 months and reach completion by March 31, 2028.

Upon completion, NITDA will operate the facility with continued technical support from JICA experts.