The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has emphasized the critical role of innovation systems in driving Nigeria’s economic transformation at the closing ceremony of the iHatch Cohort 5 Hub Managers Upskilling Residency Programme.
Addressing participants at the event, Abdullahi who was represented by Dr Amina Sambo-Magagi, described the programme as more than just a training initiative, noting that it represents a deliberate effort to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and support entrepreneurship at scale.
“What we’re witnessing here is not simply the conclusion of a training; it is the strengthening of a national system that is deliberately being designed to support innovation, drive entrepreneurship and ultimately contribute to Nigeria’s economic transformation,” he said.
He linked the initiative to Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, describing the goal as both bold and necessary. According to him, the aspiration aligns with national priorities of boosting productivity through innovation and digital transformation.
Abdullahi highlighted Nigeria’s youthful population as a strategic advantage, stressing the need to convert the country’s abundant skills into tangible economic value. He added that the nation must transition from reliance on traditional sectors to a knowledge-driven economy powered by technology and enterprise.
“The global economy is rapidly being shaped by digital transformation… countries that are succeeding are not simply those with resources but those with systems that convert ideas into value,” he stated.
He explained that NITDA’s efforts are guided by its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP), with programmes like iHatch serving to operationalise these strategies at the ecosystem level by strengthening institutions that support startups.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Victoria Fabunmi, said the iHatch programme is a collaborative initiative between NITDA and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aimed at developing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Fabunmi noted that while previous cohorts focused primarily on startups, the programme has now evolved to strengthen the organisations that support these startups.
“For the past four years, it’s been focusing on the startups ecosystem. But now, it’s taking a step back to go beyond supporting startups to supporting the organizations that enable them to scale,” she said.
She added that the just-concluded residency was designed to equip innovation support organisations with the necessary tools, networks, resources, and knowledge required to effectively nurture and scale startups.
The iHatch programme is widely seen as part of broader efforts to position Nigeria as a leading hub for digital innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.
