Innovation, basically known as the creation of new ideas, methods and strategies, has massively helped in the development of the Nigerian tech ecosystem.
A lot of strategies are being deployed by different sectors in Nigeria to help realise our dream country.
GoDo Hub, a creative space startup initiative, is an innovative and tech-centric hub with the goal of actively participating and contributing to the growth and development of an equal, inclusive and sustainable Africa, works with multiple networks and partners, mobilising resources and fostering collaborations that co-create sector-specific, context-driven solutions, and programmes that contribute directly to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, and 10 in Nigeria and Africa. One of the networks is Innovation Support Network Hubs.
ISN is a community of hubs in Nigeria with the goal of promoting collaboration among hubs, entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across the country.
In the following chat with GoDo Hub, the Executive Secretary of ISN, Nneka Ukay, shares the impact of the network on Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, her accomplishments, and how she supports hubs under her umbrella.
Ukay is a business and innovation management professional with over 18 years of varied experience working predominantly with multinational organisations
Give us a brief overview of ISN Hubs’ work in the ecosystem and what it has been able to accomplish.
At ISN, we are creating linkages with corporates, development partners, academia and government to catalyse Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem through our community of over 100 innovation and technology hubs across the country.
A critical part of our work involves advocacy for an enabling startup environment, which would enable hubs and the businesses they support to thrive, encourage investors to fund Nigerian businesses, drive and incentivise collaborations among stakeholders and, in general, stimulate an innovation culture among Nigerian youth.
We recognise that growing the innovation ecosystem is a collaborative task. In addition to working with partners, we also support our hubs in developing impactful programmes, improving their structures and efficiencies and helping them access opportunities.
We also know that visibility is a critical piece of the puzzle. So, in partnership with Techbuild.africa, we have been able to profile over 30 member hubs for free, by showcasing their activities on a global platform.
What are some of the challenges that ISN has faced while achieving its goals, and what are the key sectors that ISN is looking out for?
Hubs are a critical resource in the innovation and development ecosystems, as they provide last mile entrepreneurship and employability support to youths. However, most hubs are not visible. There are over 200 hubs across Nigeria, yet opportunities are usually limited to a handful. We are working tirelessly to broker opportunities that are inclusive of more hubs across the country, thereby supporting even more youths and startups.
After supporting hubs, our next main objective is addressing youth unemployment through hubs. Nigeria has more unemployed youths than the national population of many countries. This is a problem that needs to be solved collaboratively and we believe hubs can play a more pivotal roles as they are closer to the youths. The challenge has been securing funding partners for this as a project, but we are speaking with donors and corporates to address this challenge.
What are the changes that you have brought to ISN and how are you hoping to carry the organisation going forward?
In our less than two years, we’ve managed to work on a few projects. Last september, we launched our first Demo Day as part of our yearly gathering, which linked startups from all over the country with potential local and global funders; we have held sessions to connect the hub network with development partners and the academia, and have a quarterly event called Meet the Funders, which bridges the access divide between hubs, startups and funders. We have also launched a bite-sized knowledge share series, which brings experts to share on different topics, including funding and business processes to help our hubs improve their positioning and viability. We are still working on more projects to ensure that our hubs are more viable, visible, relevant and profitable, so they can continue to drive employability and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
We also advocate a more active role of innovation as part of our national development strategy from curriculum to public sector, inclusivity in innovation development as well as an environment that enables small businesses, including hubs, startups and attracts funders.
What is ISN doing to increase membership and support hubs like GoDo Hub in Nigeria?
We’re obsessed with providing value for our members by creating access to information, knowledge share opportunities, business opportunities and linkages to partners, including funders. Our membership base is predominantly growing organically as we have been more focused on positioning our organisation and part of the ecosystem to ensure that our value proposition is clear and tangible.
