An ambitious attempt to establish Nigeria’s administrative capital as a hotspot for tech innovation has seen the country obtain a $12.1 million grant from Japan to establish a startup hub in Abuja.
The deal was announced by the National Information Technology Development Agency on Thursday after a signing ceremony at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja. NITDA and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority will oversee the centre, which would be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency grant from April 2025 to December 2030.
The technology agency said it’s part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aiming to kickstart digital innovation, pull in private capital, and churn out jobs—potentially spawning Nigeria’s next tech unicorns.
Budget and Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Bagudu inked the pact for Nigeria, with JICA’s Deputy Head of Mission, Hitoshi Kozaki, signing for Japan.
The statement reads , “The National Information Technology Development Agency has formalised its partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency through a JPY 1.6 billion (USD 12.1 million) grant for the development of Abuja Start-up Hub.”
This isn’t NITDA’s first synergy with JICA. Last year, they rolled out iHatch, a six-month startup incubator that’s spawned 117 direct jobs and 370 indirect ones, with plans to scale it across Nigeria’s 36 states and the capital.
“We have been collaborating with them on so many initiatives like iHatch. The pilot we did resulted in creating over 117 direct jobs and more than 370 indirect jobs, and now we are working together with them to expand it to all 36 states and the FCT,” NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa said.
“The initiative provides Nigerian startups with six months of incubation, leveraging JICA’s expertise and resources to develop market-ready products.”
