The federal government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has opened applications for a tech startup accelerator Fellowship program to empower Nigerians with innovative ideas.
According to the Agency, the Fellowship program is being organised in partnership with Founder Institute, Abuja. NITDA said the Fellowship aims to foster an entrepreneurial culture and drive the growth of innovation-driven startups in Nigeria.
Through the Fellowship, 30 tech startups specialising in areas such as AI, Robotics, Cybersecurity, E-commerce, Software, Fintech, Ed-tech, IoT, GovTech, Agritech, and Biotechnology, will be trained. Early-stage entrepreneurs interested in launching a tech startup in Nigeria are encouraged to apply for the program.
Eligibility Criteria
While noting that the the merit-based fellowship is open to full-time innovators in the tech sector, NITDA listed other eligibility criteria including:
- “Applicants must have an innovation/idea tailored to Al, Robotics, Blockchain, E-commerce, Software, Fintech, Ed-tech, loT and Biotechnology, and Cybersecurity.
- “Be available full-time and be able to devote 30 hours per week or more to this program.”
- The deadline for the application is October 2, 2023, according to the information shared by the Agency.
The 1 Million Target
The new initiative from the NITDA is part of the government’s drive to train one million Nigerians on technical skills by 2025.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who announced this recently, said the preparations for the training commenced in August with a meeting of stakeholders in tech to co-create innovative ways to achieve the target. He added that the meeting was the first in a series of ecosystem engagements to ensure that the government gets the best solutions from within.
President Bola Tinubu had also promised to create 1 million jobs through tech in the first 24 months of his administration.