By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi / posted September 5, 2025

As part of efforts to deepen President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda policy initiatives thrust as it pertains to youths, the Minister of State for Youth Development, His Excellency Olawande Emmanuel Ayodele, opened The GITEX Startup Festival which held at the Landmark Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos from September 3 – 4, 2025. The event which aims to showcase the creativity of young Nigerians and foster access to global opportunities, was follow up action to promises he made during a visit to Dubai, UAE, in July 2025.

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A key highlight of the event was the launching of ‘InnovateNaija’; a nationwide initiative to empower and promote youth-driven innovation across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) partnered with Afrilabs to introduced the ‘InnovateNaija’, which is envisaged to be Nigeria’s largest innovation challenge that will create a leeway for young inventors to connect with mentors, investors and resources. With a focus on focus on scalable technology and engineering solutions, the program offers a ₦100 million grand prize for the national winner, while state champions will receive ₦2.5 million each, totaling an estimated ₦250 million in support. Additional prizes include ₦30 million and ₦20 million for the first and second runners-up, respectively.

While urging young Nigerians to seize these opportunities, the Hon. Minister said, “this is a game-changer for youth-led startups in the tech and innovation space,” that amplifies the spirit of the president’s renewed hope agenda.

During the event, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, identified with the initiative, signposting Lagos to be the “launchpad for Africa’s tomorrow”, noting that the state is envisioning supporting Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy goal.

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NASENI, which is at the vanguard of the ‘InnovateNaija’ project, spoke through its Executive Vice-Chairman Khalil Suleiman Halilu, defending that government’s involvement would give the programme a solid base to access every region in Nigeria. He emphasized that it was imperative to boost home-grown products to reduce import dependency.

The festival brought together over 1,000 startups, investors and tech leaders. The sessions were dominated with speakers highlighting the intrinsic benefits of emergent tools like AI, blockchain, fintech, and 4IR technologies.

Importantly, startups like HolyDigits 101 and CorestreamNG interactive link with global investors. The Lagos state government and telecoms giant, MTN sponsored some pitches at the 10X Founders and Ventures Stage, and Exhibitions. These support platforms gave the organizers a realistic projection of about $250 million in export turnover, which will significantly contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification goals.

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The programme is encouraged to leverage the success story of Lagos State’s skill acquisition initiatives, which recently graduated 5,300 individuals.

To address the imminent deluge of inquiries from youths, the ‘InnovateNaija’ disclosed that applications will open soon via NASENI and AfriLabs portals to the be announced to the public.

As Nigeria advances its digital economy, GITEX Nigeria offers a collaborative approach between government and private sector, capturing the young innovators.

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