Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has performed the groundbreaking for the Renewed Hope Startup Hub in Abuja.
The Renewed Hope Startup Hub is made possible through a $10.4 million grant from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony, the First Lady described the project as a landmark investment in technological advancement, youth empowerment, and digital inclusion.
She noted that the facility will allow young innovators to turn their ideas into practical solutions and competitive businesses.
The First Lady described the centre as a place where young Nigerians could nurture their ambitions and develop them into viable enterprises, saying “You can arrive here with a sketch and leave with a working prototype that takes you into the global market space.”
She acknowledged the Government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for providing the strategic grant that made the project possible.
The First Lady also commended the Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and his team for securing the partnership, noting that the establishment of startup hubs across the country aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his remarks, the NITDA DG said the project went beyond providing a physical space for innovation, stressing that it was intended to create opportunities for young Nigerians to transform their ideas into viable businesses and solutions.
He linked the project to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which, he said, focuses on economic diversification through digitalisation and innovation, while ensuring that more Nigerians can participate in and benefit from national development.
“Today, we are laying the foundation, not just for an innovation hub, but for new enterprises, new opportunities, new partnerships, and a future where our youth ideas can be turned and used to solve our national problems and global challenges.”
“We are investing in our people, the ingenuity of our people, particularly our young people, whose creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial ambition are our greatest asset as a nation,’’ Abdullahi declared.
Abdullahi said that the Japanese government, through JICA, had provided $10.4 million to expand the innovation hub.
He also disclosed that JICA was working with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to establish a $50 million seed-funding facility for startups, to help strengthen entrepreneurship, create jobs in the digital economy and expand opportunities for Nigerian youths.
Also speaking, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hideo Suzuki, noted that the project reflected more than six decades of cordial relations between Nigeria and Japan, with cooperation increasingly focused on technology, innovation and human capital development.
Suzuki explained that Japan’s support for Nigeria’s startup ecosystem rests on three pillars: strengthening policies and institutions, supporting early-stage investment, and providing infrastructure through the Renewed Hope Startup Hub.
“This hub will provide entrepreneurs with the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment needed to transform raw ideas into viable businesses. It will serve as a sanctuary for innovation, a dynamic space equipped with digital fabrication tools, and collaborative areas where entrepreneurs can turn their dreams into reality, connect with global partners and drive Nigeria’s economic diversification,’’ he said.
