As part of Nigeria’s participation at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is strengthening ties with Japan to accelerate the country’s innovation and startup ecosystem.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, represented Nigeria in high-level engagements with senior officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Tokyo. Discussions centered on advancing Nigeria’s $11.2 million Startup Hub in Abuja, which is set to become a center of excellence for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Also highlighted was JICA’s $20 million early-stage technology startup fund, which will be matched by an additional $20 million from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), in line with the Nigeria Startup Act championed by President Tinubu’s administration. These initiatives are designed to provide startups with the resources to scale, create jobs, and drive economic transformation.
The NITDA Director General commended JICA for its consistent support in Nigeria’s innovation journey and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to partnerships that expand opportunities for young people.
In another engagement, Abdullahi met with Satoshi Shimoda, Senior Writer at Nikkei, where he showcased Nigeria’s vibrant startup landscape, landmark reforms such as the Nigeria Startup Act, and the immense potential of its youth-driven innovation ecosystem. He also visited the Tokyo Innovation Base to explore avenues for knowledge transfer and deeper collaboration between Nigerian and Japanese startups.
These engagements underscore President Tinubu’s renewed drive to harness technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship as key pillars for Nigeria’s economic diversification and global competitiveness.
