From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Thursday said the Agency, through its subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), would be partnering with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to launch a startup incubation programme, called iHatch.
In a statement in Abuja, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of NITDA,
said the initiative is aimed at bolstering job creation by increasing the number of innovation-driven enterprises by Nigerian youths.
He said “iHatch seeks to establish a programme that will accelerate the process of taking ideas to impact, hence providing the much-needed jobs for our teeming youths, and also nurturing that entrepreneurial spirit in them, which will catalyses the Nigerian digital economy to the next level,”
The incubation program is expected to provide an excellent opportunity for startups that have innovative business ideas along with a prototype of their products or services.
iHatch is a 5-month free intensive incubation program designed to help Nigerian entrepreneurs perfect their business ideas through a series of coaching, lectures, and boot camps, to generate viable and scalable business models. iHatch focuses on youth, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology.
Participating startups are also expected to receive free offline and online interactive training from experienced coaches and mentors from over the world. Other benefits include free co-working space for the duration of the programme and investment opportunities.