Yaba, a suburb in mainland Lagos Nigeria is a prime location for startups and workers because of its proximity to the Lagos Island – the commercial hub of the state and the availability of almost all kind of goods and services. The Lagos State Government has in the past few years taken interest in technology and how it can be exploited in governance and for the simplification of daily existence of the citizens of the state. This it has done through the Lagos Smart City initiative and the Lagos Innovates Programme which is for skills acquisition and provision of employment. As such, it was not much of a surprise that the government would be interested and supportive of creating a technology hub in the state especially in a prime location like Yaba.
In August 2018, the Lagos State Government sponsored the project of providing an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship in Lagos state, Nigeria. This project was driven by a Public-Private Partnership with Ibile Holdings Limited, the state’s investment company, as the major partner and other organizations such as Google, Microsoft, Andela, Ikeja Electric, MainOne Cable Company, University of Lagos, Accenture, General Electric, Co-Creation Hub, First Bank and Access Bank. The Yaba ICT Hub is planned to be the platform for the congregation of technology & innovative entrepreneurs, capital, infrastructure and allied services for the germination, acceleration, penetration and adoption of IT and innovation in upscaling business, administrative functionalities and the ease of daily living. Therefore, it runs with the vision to connect, grow and inspire the human spirit through interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and collaboration.
The ICT has grown organically to international recognition by fostering leading technology start-ups in Yaba and sponsored by individual private sector investments in infrastructure, coordination and marketing; including fibre deployment by Main One, private power generation, real estate, etc. The Yaba ICT Hub project is focused on aggregating requisite infrastructure and real estate to through benefits of scale, boost the output of these enterprises, attract new entrants, create start-ups/incubation, enterprise stability and peer cooperation.
The Yaba ICT hub is also known as KITE@Yaba; KITE is an acronym for Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship. As a platform, KITE creates an enabling environment that will aid the congregation of technology & innovative entrepreneurs by facilitating capital, aiding skilled talent and providing infrastructure and allied services. the hub offers the following services:
- Tech and Innovation: they work with passionate people and creative thinkers to create innovative products. If you are one, you can contact them here.
- Project Support / Guide: They ensure the smooth running of the project process according to best global standards and practices.
- Startups: They help startups with good ideas become successful IT businesses that can thrive in the country.
The delivery of the hub will be coordinated by a governance structure which comprises of private entrepreneurs, seasoned administrators, industry experts and representatives of stakeholders. And are responsible for harmonizing strategic path for the project and ensure alignment with stakeholders’ objectives by:
- Providing diverse specialist knowledge to guide the project.
- Ensuring smooth project process, adherence to best global standards and practices.
With global challenges all around in need of technology and innovation to solve these issues, it is hoped that the Yaba ICT hub would do more and increase its impact beyond what it currently is.
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Featured image source: yabaicthub.com