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The Federal Government is working to establish common standards for innovation hubs across Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the startup ecosystem, develop digital talent and spread technology-driven economic opportunities beyond Lagos and Abuja.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in Abuja at the National Innovation Hub Standards Framework Workshop organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The workshop is focused on validating proposed standards, assessment criteria and implementation guidelines for innovation hubs, while ensuring that the framework can work across different types of hubs and operating environments.
Why Innovation Hubs Matter
Tijani said innovation hubs, co-working spaces and related community platforms are an important but often overlooked part of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
According to the minister, government and investors have traditionally concentrated on the innovations produced by startups without giving equal attention to the environments that help entrepreneurs develop and scale those ideas.
He argued that investments in digital infrastructure and technology platforms would have limited impact if the support systems surrounding innovators remained weak.
Tijani described Nigeria’s digital transformation as resting on three interconnected layers: foundational infrastructure, technology platforms and applications developed by innovators.
Infrastructure Investments Need Stronger Ecosystems
The minister listed broadband networks, fibre-optic infrastructure, data centres, satellites and digital talent among the foundational elements required for the digital economy.
The second layer includes digital identity, data exchange and payment infrastructure, which provide platforms upon which entrepreneurs can build products and services.
Nigeria’s progress in digital payments and identity infrastructure, he noted, has already contributed to the emergence of successful fintech companies, including businesses that have achieved billion-dollar valuations.
The government now wants similar attention directed towards the hubs that help entrepreneurs transform these digital resources into businesses.
90,000km Fibre Network, 3,700 Towers Planned
Tijani said the government is investing in major digital infrastructure projects, including a planned 90,000-kilometre fibre-optic network, expanded telecommunications access and efforts to improve the country’s digital identity and cloud infrastructure.
The government also plans to deploy approximately 3,700 telecommunications towers in underserved communities.
According to the minister, more than 20 million Nigerians still live in communities without adequate telecommunications access, underscoring the need to expand infrastructure alongside innovation support.
He stressed that these investments must be complemented by stronger innovation hubs capable of helping entrepreneurs turn connectivity and digital platforms into economic opportunities.
Government Wants Innovation Beyond Lagos, Abuja
Tijani said Nigeria could produce significantly more technology companies if quality innovation-support infrastructure was available across the country.
The objective, he explained, is not simply to replicate Lagos’ Yaba technology ecosystem in every state, but to develop hubs around the talent, economic opportunities and specific challenges of each location.
NITDA Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said Nigeria currently has more than 339 innovation hubs, although a significant proportion are concentrated in Lagos, Abuja and roughly 10 other states.
He said the proposed framework would allow hubs to evaluate their capabilities, identify weaknesses and progressively improve their operations.
Seven Dimensions to Guide Hub Development
Abdullahi explained that the proposed framework contains seven dimensions and about 35 assessment categories that innovation hubs can use to determine their strengths and stage of development.
He stressed that the framework is intended as a guide rather than a rigid set of prescriptions.
The NITDA chief also said entrepreneurs should not be forced to relocate to major technology centres before gaining access to the support needed to develop their businesses.
He cited the need for an entrepreneur in Yola, for example, to be able to build a viable company without having to move to Yaba to access an effective innovation ecosystem.
Government Pushes Industry-Academia Collaboration
The initiative also extends to Nigeria’s education system.
Abdullahi called for stronger cooperation between universities and industry, arguing that higher institutions must produce graduates equipped with skills relevant to the emerging digital economy.
He disclosed that NITDA is working with the Federal Ministry of Education to incorporate digital skills into formal education.
The approach is expected to help close the gap between the skills produced by educational institutions and those demanded by technology-driven businesses.
EU Backs Common Standards
The European Union has also expressed support for the initiative.
Speaking on behalf of the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Tolba Ikram described innovation hubs as the “connective tissue” of the digital economy.
Ikram noted that Nigeria has developed one of Africa’s largest innovation ecosystems, with the reported 339 hubs spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
However, he stressed that the scale of the ecosystem needs to be accompanied by standards that promote quality and sustainability.
The EU and its Team Europe partners are supporting Nigeria’s digital ecosystem with more than €820 million between 2021 and 2027, including programmes targeting technical talent development and digital transformation. The delegation also indicated its willingness to connect Nigeria’s proposed framework with European certification organisations, research institutions and technology companies.
Protecting Digital Infrastructure
Beyond building innovation hubs, Tijani raised concerns over the frequent damage to fibre-optic cables caused by construction activities.
He disclosed that a standing committee involving the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been established to tackle the problem.
Digital infrastructure was designated as critical national infrastructure in 2024, providing a stronger basis for protecting telecommunications assets and pursuing those responsible for damaging them.
The Bigger Picture
For the Federal Government, stronger innovation hubs are expected to help convert Nigeria’s growing investments in connectivity, digital infrastructure and technology platforms into businesses, jobs and economic value.
National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, Victoria Fabunmi, likened startups to babies and innovation hubs to the mothers responsible for nurturing them.
She said strengthening the support structures around entrepreneurs would be crucial to producing successful companies from states including Zamfara, Yobe, Osun and Jigawa, rather than allowing Nigeria’s technology ecosystem to remain concentrated in a handful of major cities.
The proposed standards framework therefore represents an attempt to move Nigeria’s innovation strategy from simply building more hubs to improving the quality and effectiveness of the hubs already operating across the country.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could give entrepreneurs outside the traditional technology centres greater access to mentorship, infrastructure, skills and business support, strengthening the pipeline of startups capable of contributing to the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
