Nigeria’s state on the Plateua, North East Nigeria, is taking the lead in technology innovation and empowerment, as it plans to commit about N200 million in tech innovation and skill acquisition for about 6000 of its youths, with the aim of leading as Nigeria’s ICT job sourcing hub.
The project which is currently receiving the Solomon Lalong’s government nod, and for which an enabling Act has been passed by the state’s legislative body, will also see to the creation of over 19 innovations hubs.
Director-General of the state’s Information Technology Development Agency (PICTDA) Mr Daser Sunday David said today, in Lagos, at the WACC conference, that the state’s initiative will make it the country’s innovation hub where all sorts of ICT talents could be sourced.
David, said the state has been using ICT as a tool for social mobility and that the new innovation being executed by his agency would be the icing on the cake as it would help the state re-skill several of its unemployed youths and provide support for tech start-ups
According to him the project would also seek to help tech start-ups to find their ground and stay-up, through the endorsement the state government would give to them and prepare them for the needed support in seeking and getting the outside funding they require.
David said he has passion for helping start-ups stay-up because of his experience as a tech start-ups, when he established Northern Nigeria’s first start-up known as N-hub, in Jos, the state capital.
According to him, after spending about five million in the project, he could not achieve the necessary inroad because he could not get the required support as all the money was spent on staffing and office space rent.
Governor Simon Bako Lalong appointed Mr. Daser David as the Director General (DG) of Plateau State Information Technology Agency (PSITA) last year.
As the pioneer DG of the PSITA, David is expected to lead the new agency through its initial growth curve, pursue a workable framework to make Plateau State a technology and innovation hub as well as work with government and other stakeholders to attract technology investment into the state.
Daser established the first innovation hub in northern Nigeria; Nhub, from where he was drafted to head the Plateau ICT agency.
With Nhub, David was able to build both a tech solution company and a skill acquisition space for thousands of young people veering into tech entrepreneurship.
In Jos, NHUb has helped to foster a steadily growing innovation industry that targets young people and how they can function in the 21st workplaces. Since 2014, the hub annually hosts the “HackJos” conference and hackathon – software competition in northern Nigeria and has recorded the participation of notable bodies such as the Industrial Training Funds (ITF), and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
PSITA was first created under former Governor David Jonah Jang but it lacked the legislative backing to operate as a legal entity. The State House of Assembly finally passed the law establishing the establishment last year
