By Oluwole Alao
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has called on innovation hubs across the country to play a decisive role in Nigeria’s push toward a $1 trillion economy, describing them as critical intermediaries in the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
The charge was delivered during a keynote address at the closing ceremony of the iHatch Cohort 5 Hub Upskilling Programme Physical Residency Week, held at the Chida Hotel in Abuja.
Following a rigorous and transparent selection process involving both internal and external stakeholders, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a total of 37 innovation hubs representing all 36 states and the FCT were admitted into Cohort 5.
Participants have since commenced onboarding and a virtual learning phase, equipping Hub Managers with foundational tools and knowledge ahead of deeper engagement.
As part of the programme design, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation convened the selected Hub Managers for a five-day Physical Residency Week, held from April 20 to April 24, 2026, aimed to promote peer-to-peer learning, strengthen alignment across hubs, enable collaborative design and knowledge exchange, and provide high-level insights into innovation ecosystem development
The sessions focused on startup support systems, institutional sustainability, and the role of hubs in driving national development through innovation.
In his keynote titled “The $1 Trillion Economy Imperative: The Strategic Mandate of Innovation Intermediaries,” the DG, who was represented by the Agency’s Acting Director of the IT Department, Dr Amina Mogaji Sambo, emphasised that Nigeria’s economic ambition must be driven by innovation, productivity, and digital transformation.
He highlighted Nigeria’s demographic advantage, over 220 million people with a youthful population, and stressed the need to convert this into economic value through structured innovation systems.
“Countries that succeed today are not simply those with resources, but those with systems that convert ideas into value,” he said.
The DG reiterated the critical role of innovation hubs, also known as Enterprise Support Organisations (ESOs), in bridging government policy, private capital, and entrepreneurial talent.
“You are not real estate managers or event organisers. You are the connective tissue of a national innovation system,” he told participants.
Drawing on global examples such as Silicon Valley and other leading ecosystems, he noted that strong intermediaries are essential for translating ideas into scalable ventures.
Reflecting on the growth of the iHatch programme, the DG noted its evolution from a pilot initiative in Abuja to a national platform with 74 innovation hubs nationwide, over 13,000 startup applications across cohorts, and a structured pipeline supporting startups from ideation to market readiness
He added that startups supported under the programme have already created over 500 direct jobs and generated more than 1,500 indirect jobs, with secured international opportunities and partnerships
The DG emphasised that sustainable ecosystems require strong mentorship structures and market access pathways in addition to strong institutional capacities.
“If we strengthen the hubs, we strengthen everything downstream,” he said.
Describing innovation hubs as an underutilised national asset, the DG urged participants to view their roles as critical to Nigeria’s future.
He challenged Hub Managers across all regions to approach their work with seriousness and purpose, noting that their efforts would shape startup success rates, innovation scalability and regional participation in the digital economy.
“You are nation builders. The work you do will determine how quickly Nigeria achieves its $1 trillion ambition,” the DG concluded.