The Nigerian government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has opened applications for a tech startup accelerator fellowship program to empower Nigerians with innovative ideas.
The Fellowship program, designed to foster an entrepreneurial culture and drive the growth of innovation-driven startups, is being organised in partnership with Founder Institute, Abuja.
The deadline for the application is October 2, 2023.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said the preparations for the training commenced in August with a meeting of stakeholders in tech to co-create innovative ways to achieve the target.
The meeting was the first in a series of ecosystem engagements to ensure that the government gets the best solutions from within.
Through the fellowship, 30 tech startups specialising in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, cybersecurity, e-commerce, software, fintech, ed-tech, IoT, govtech, agritech, and biotechnology, will be trained.
According to NITDA, “Applicants must have an innovation/idea tailored to Al, Robotics, Blockchain, E-commerce, Software, Fintech, Ed-tech, loT and Biotechnology, and Cybersecurity.
“Be available full-time and be able to devote 30 hours per week or more to this program.”
NITDA is encouraging early-stage entrepreneurs interested in launching a tech startup in Nigeria to apply for the programme.
The new initiative from the NITDA is part of the government’s drive to train one million Nigerians on technical skills by 2025 in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to create one million jobs through tech and innovation within the first 24 months of his administration.
