UK-Nigeria Tech Hub Supports 168 Tech-Enabled SMEs in 5 Years

The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, an initiative of the UK government says it has supported 168 tech-enabled Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs), early-stage startups and engaged with 55 investors since its inception.

The Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Oyinkan Akintola-Bello, made this known on Wednesday during a workshop organised by the British Deputy High Commission for tech journalists in Lagos. The workshop aimed at discussing the length and breadth of the UK’s digital, tech and innovation work in Nigeria.

Akintola-Bello said that the tech hub was launched in 2019 and was part of the International Tech Hub Network, which was delivered by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

She explained that the DSIT and FCDO were under the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme (DAP). Speaking on supporting SMEs, she said that the hub worked to stimulate local digital economies, sustainable economic growth and jobs.

She added that it also built high-end digital skills, and forged innovation partnerships between Nigerian tech sectors and international businesses. Akintola-Bello said the hub worked with players in the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem to find innovative solutions to local development challenges, thereby driving sustainable economic growth.

She added that its work was with a focus on including women, marginalised youth and people with disabilities. On other achievements of the hub, she said it had collaborated with Google for Startups to award three million dollars in cloud credit infrastructure to female technology founders in Nigeria.

“Building upon our successful pilot, the DevCareer Tech Programme will equip 1,700 individuals, including 680 women, across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with technical skills in software development, product design, and product management, “Akintola-Bello said.

The director added that in future, it    would be focusing on strengthening the capacity within the tech ecosystem to self-regulate and contribute to the development of policies. We will continue to aid economic growth by continuing to support tech startups to grow in spite of the slow investment in the continent.

“The hub will also expand its talent bucket by increasing the number of intermediate to advanced talents available to the ecosystem,” she said. Also, Idongesit Udoh, the UK Government’s Digital Access Country Lead and Programme Adviser, said there was a stark digital divide in the country.

“2.6 billion people still do not have access to Internet, which means that a third of the world’s population are offline, and the lack is concentrated within the poorest and most marginalised groups. To bridge the gap, we initiated the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP), a cross-government partnership of FCDO with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

“The DAP initiative catalyses inclusive, affordable, safe and secure digital access for excluded or underserved populations in Nigeria and other partner countries,” Udoh said. He said it promoted digital ecosystems that stimulated innovations for local development challenges and created local skilled jobs.

“To further strengthen digital access, the UK Government plans to work with selected partner countries including Nigeria for an inclusive and sustainable digital future to support transformation that accelerates development and manage emerging risks for the next seven years.

“Through our new Digital Development Strategy (DDS) 2024-2030, we will strive to achieve four interconnected objectives in Nigeria. They include digital transformation which involves catalysing the economy, government, and society through digital technologies, then digital inclusion by ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital world.

“Others are digital responsibility which involves creating an enabling environment, and digital sustainability revolving around harnessing digital technologies in support of our climate change and environmental aims,” Udoh said.

On her part, the Country Director, Department for Business and Trade, Morayo Adekunle, said the department’s objective in the next three years was to support tech unicorns to access global pools of capital in the UK financial market.

She noted that they would also be facilitating listings and capital raise for established Nigerian tech companies. We will also promote technical partnerships with our Nigerian counterparts to build capacity across the tech value chain.

“We also plan to amplify awareness of cybersecurity solutions and benefits to tech stakeholders and other Nigerian companies,” Adekunle said.