By Nneka Blessing Ukachukwu
The Director General National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa has stated that a full fledged Startup Ecosystem in Nigeria can be achieved through collective efforts of key enablers, being the Regulators, Corporates, Strategists and Innovators.
Inuwa who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, Director Corporate Planning and Strategy made this assertion at the Lagos Startup Week 2024 powered by Prime Startups tagged “Limitless” while delivering a keynote speech on “It takes a Village of Regulators, Corporates, Strategists, and Innovators to raise the Industry.”
The purpose of the event is to is network with founders, investors, Government officials and technology providers aimed at accelerating products, business and ideas.
He said “the synergy of the village entails the Regulators providing spectrum, Corporates for infrastructure, Strategists to monetise and expand market shares, and Innovators to build solutions and devices.”
Dissecting the key enablers and their roles he said “the Regulators are the gatekeepers of the compliance and standards that ensures that balance between innovation and safety is maintained. They ensure the integrity of the market place, protect consumers and the environment from any form of harm that can come from privacy breach just like the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR) is doing in Nigeria.”
“The Corporates provide the resources to scale innovation, take advantage of regulatory frameworks and transform them to tangible outcomes. They risk, invest in new ideas and create jobs making life easier and better.”
“The Strategists are the architect of vision as they design the blueprint for the future, analyse trends and anticipate change. They formulate plans that guides the Corporates, help navigate through uncertainties, seize opportunities and avoid pitfalls.”
“For the Innovators, they are the life blood of the tech industry. They are the power of change that push boundaries, challenge status quo, trigger disruption, adapt and ignite progress.
The NITDA Boss explained that the key defining threads that make up the Industry Village are the Dominance of Digital Business Models that comes with the commercialisation of innovations and ideas; migration from services to experiences; implementation of SRAP 2.0 ; Service enablers like the digital strategies, digital infrastructure, data and digital skills; and growth enablers like the Regulators, Corporates, Strategists and Innovators.
The DG concluded by encouraging Startups at the event to take advantage of the Nigeria StartUp Act(nsa), register on the portal and get labeled giving a walk through of the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and action plan SRAP 2.0 maintaining that it is a contract between the Agency and the people.
He said “ SRAP 2.0 is a social contract and that social contract is helping to build an Ecosystem where are the key enablers being the Regulators, Corporates, Strategists and Innovators come into play to ensure that we have an Ecosystem that is functional, responsive, agile, adaptive and dynamic.