Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed its commitment to positioning the country as a global leader in technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

Kashifu Inuwa, the director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), made the remark during the closing ceremony of the iHATCH startup incubation programme’s third cohort in Abuja.

The programme, a joint initiative of NITDA and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to cultivate a thriving tech ecosystem in Nigeria

This partnership is a major step forward in Nigeria’s endeavours to promote innovation and entrepreneurship and it is in line with NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0), specifically to “Forge Strategic Partnership and Collaboration” and “Nurture an Innovative and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.”

Inuwa said in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s priority area of Accelerating Diversification through Industrialisation, Digitisation, Creative Arts, Manufacturing and Innovation, “IHatch programme is fostering a thriving ecosystem for startups, empowering the next generation of tech innovators in Nigeria.”

The NITDA boss, while maintaining that one of the success stories of the iHatch programme is the creation of jobs, he noted that “Because of the success of cohort one and two, we decided to expand cohort 3 to five locations – Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Gombe.

“Part of the success story of Cohort 1 and 2 was, we trained 16 startups with 32 participants, however, they have created a combined job of 179 and over 1000 indirect jobs,” he added.

The Director General recalled that the programme, which started in 2022 is designed to tackle social issues with innovative and creative solutions, generate employment opportunities, and boost Nigeria’s economic development.

He said,

“The initiative is designed to support young entrepreneurs by pairing founders with co-founders, guiding them through the incubation process, and teaching them the fundamentals of building a business from the ground up. The goal is to help them transform their ideas from inception into impactful ventures.”

While challenging the participants to contribute to building a mentoring platform, Inuwa promised NITDA’s support, and urged JICA to consider expanding the initiative to cover all 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory.

He noted that “At NITDA, we see this initiative as a gateway to not only enhancing local initiatives but also explore opportunities to export Nigerian talents to Japan.”

On his part, Mr. Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, the Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, stated that Japan is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria.

He emphasised that Japan’s support extends beyond mere technical assistance but focuses on building partnerships that facilitate knowledge exchange.

“As these startups advance, I foresee a stronger collaboration between Nigerian and Japanese companies, leveraging each other’s strengths for mutual prosperity,” Kazuyoshi stated.

He added that since the programme commences in 2021, it has empowered early-stage businesses that are dedicated to addressing societal challenges through innovative technologies and ideas.

“We have 10 standout ventures that will showcase their ingenuity today, and it is a testament to their hard work and the support they have received. Japan’s involvement in this initiative through JICA shows our commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria.

“Our experts have provided capacity building and training support, ensuring that these startups gain technical knowledge and imbibe Japanese business ethics, punctuality, adherence to rules, and a relentless pursuit of quality improvement,” he said.

Earlier, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, the chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT, expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for their support and commended the participants of the iHatch 3 incubation programme.

He said;

“This is not just about technology; it is about making our country proud and showcasing that Nigerian youth are innovative and creative.

“You are contributing significantly to societal development, and I am extremely proud of each and every one of you for stepping up and making this presentation,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Abubakar Umar, one of the winners and founder of Northinho, expressed gratitude to NITDA and JICA for their intensive training.

He said he would utilise the cash prize given to him to advance his venture and encouraged fellow entrepreneurs to remain persistent in their endeavours.

Umar said,

“Believe in what you do, even if your ideas are still evolving. Keep working on your projects, and one day you will look back and appreciate how far you have come.”

Three startups were awarded cash prizes; Northinho received $15,000, Dorpals Technologies received $12,000, while Connected received $10,000.

Key Points in this Report:

• Renewable energy sources are shifting the energy value chain, allowing for “prosumers” to feed energy into the grid while simultaneously consuming it.
• Ericsson is partnering with several utility industry players to bring business value and digitalization through cellular connectivity. 

As energy costs and demand for electricity rise, the report explores a vision of the near future in which the utility sector harnesses cellular connectivity to mitigate the increasing complexities of meeting the needs of a rapidly evolving electric grid and consumer demand profiles – enabling utility providers to expand capacity, optimize utilization of infrastructure, increase grid reliability, and boost operational efficiency through a secure and reliable network.

In addition to growing demand and an ever-evolving mix of energy sources, the utility sector is also facing growing challenges in cost control and cybersecurity.

With the demand for electricity growing at an expected 2% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next two decades, the report notes that utility providers need to make investments in new technologies in order to meet these demands and best serve consumers.

Ericsson technology provides management services for private networks, public mission-critical infrastructure and IoT deployments.

Also highlighted in the report are changes in the energy value chain. As renewable energy sources continue to become more available and viable, consumers are becoming “prosumers,” feeding energy back into the grid – through solutions such as residential rooftop solar PV – while simultaneously consuming it, shifting the value chain from traditional one-way electricity flow to being circular in nature.

4G LTE technologies in particular will prove to be crucial over the next decade and beyond in handling the bi-directional energy flow from prosumers and increased fluctuations in power production stemming from renewable energy sources, with 5G connectivity expected to come into play in the future.

Koustuv Ghoshal, Vice President & Head of Utilities, Ericsson, says, “Cellular connectivity is helping to accelerate the digital transformation of utilities. Electrical infrastructure has an operational lifetime of up to five decades. So for utilities, connectivity technology is a worthwhile investment as it will continue to provide extensive business value for years to come. As power generation methods expand to include renewables and the demands on transmission/distribution grids become more complex, it is vital for the utility sector to evolve along with it through continued integration of advanced cellular technology.”

Several benefits of this technology have already been proven, supporting internal communications, worker safety, automation, user experience and insight-driven innovation, bringing digitalization to the forefront of efficient business operations.

While still evolving, cellular technology also already presents use cases of real time data exchange, automatic grid fault detection, distribution automation, connected electric vehicle charging, and building energy management and optimization.

Ericsson’s report also highlights future use cases in partnership with enterprises across the globe such as Thales, Chungwa Telecom, Southern Linc, and Blue Corner, from remote site drone inspections and a digitally-enabled workforce to modernization of legacy communications and predictive maintenance.