Three startups – Northinho, Dorpals and Connected – have been awarded the $37,000 cash prizes under iHATCH startup incubation programme’s third cohort. Northinho received $15,000, Dorpals Technologies received $12,000, while Connected received $10,000.
This is in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to positioning the country as a global leader in technology innovation and entrepreneurship, through youth tech skill development.
The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, 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.
Speaking on the partnership, Inuwa said: “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.”
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, noted that because of the success of cohorts one and two, the Agency 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, was designed to tackle social issues with innovative and creative solutions, generate employment opportunities, and boost Nigeria’s economic development. “This is not just about technology; it is about making our country proud and showcasing that Nigerian youth are innovative and creative.”
He further explained: “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 NITDA sees this initiative as a gateway to, not only enhancing local initiatives, but also explore opportunities to export Nigerian talents to Japan.”
On his part, Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, stated that Japan is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria, and emphasized 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.
