The Federal Government of Nigeria to Set Up Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to Support Tech Startups

The Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed plans to set up a technology and innovation advisory council to progressively condition the environment for the growth of technology startups in Nigeria.

This was revealed earlier this week by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on a visit to tech companies and hubs in Lagos; Nigeria’s commercial hub.

The Vice President in company of the Minister of Science & Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami noted that the advisory council will help harness and support tech and innovation among the teeming Nigerian youth in order to drive growth in the sector.

While speaking on tour, Osinbajo said, “Already, we have an Industrial and Competitiveness Council.  But what we want to look at is doing one for technology and one for innovation as well so that we bring in some of the key players and thinkers around technology, working with the government and working with government officials to develop policy and to develop all of the various ways by which we can help them to do what they are doing better.”

According to ITedgenews, Osinbajo also disclosed that the federal government, having recognized technology as cash cow and enabler of many enterprises was already working in partnership with some hubs to create the needed environment for them to thrive and prosper.

Some of the hubs in question include: The hubs include the Civic Hub in Abuja, the Climate Change Hub and the North East Hub, which seeks to use technology and innovation to tackle humanitarian challenges in North East Nigeria.

He also added that the government is also working on including the Co-Creation Hub (CC-Hub), one of the hubs he visited on in Lagos among the number of hubs it is working with.

The other tech hubs visited include:  Paystack , Andela, Farm Crowdy, Flutterwave, Workstation and African  Fintech Foundry.