Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima has lauded the transformative impact of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the global entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, which has raised over $1.5 billion and created more than 30,000 direct jobs in 20 years.
The Vice President made the remarks when he received a delegation from the Kuo Sharper Foundry Fellowship 2025–2026, led by MIT’s Executive Director for the Kuo Sharper Centre for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship, Dina Sherif, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He, however, urged African entrepreneurs to close ranks in order to fully harness the continent’s huge potential by leveraging MIT’s resource mobilisation network and job creation opportunities.
Unity of Purpose
VP Shettima called for unity of purpose among African professionals and entrepreneurs, saying, “Africa is the new frontier and future belongs to the continent but its people must unite to transform potentials into tangible results that impact lives and livelihoods.
“Africa is blessed with enormous human and material resources but its people must fuse into one to benefit from the tremendous opportunities that abound across the continent,” he said.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, is daring to leverage available opportunities to transform the entire economy.
“President Tinubu is not afraid of taking bold decisions that will reposition Nigeria’s economy and better the lives of the livelihoods of the people,” VP Shettima stated.
The leader of the delegation, Sherif, said the team was at the Presidential Villa to brief the Vice President on the activities of MIT’s Kuo Sharper Centre for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship, assuring that the Centre is dedicated to “fueling the engine of entrepreneurship across the world.”
She noted that the team was in Nigeria in view of the Kuo Sharper Foundry Fellowship programme, which, according to her, has helped entrench the spirit of entrepreneurship across the continent.
Sherif underscored the significance of collaboration among African startups, noting that Nigeria is a leading country, as evidenced by the progress recorded by startups across the continent.
She further assured of improved support for Africa-based startups from the Centre through its various initiatives.