Strengthening Nigeria’s Tech Ecosystem: NBTI and High Tech Centre Seek Strategic Collaboration for Innovation and Youth Empowerment
The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and the High Tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Youths have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating technology innovation, commercialization, and digital empowerment in Nigeria. This partnership aligns with the bold vision and transformative policies of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to strengthen Nigeria’s technology ecosystem and create sustainable opportunities for youth-led innovation.
During a courtesy visit to NBTI Headquarters, Abuja, Dr. Omowunmi Hassan, President of the High Tech Centre, highlighted the Centre’s core mission of promoting digital literacy, ICT training, and STEM education for women and youths. She emphasized the organization’s commitment to fostering innovation through practical solutions, citing advancements in solar dryers, solar-powered tricycles, and biodigesters as key projects with high commercialization potential.
Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, Director General/CEO of NBTI, welcomed the partnership, reiterating NBTI’s core mandate of transforming research and development (R&D) outputs into market-ready products. He emphasized that for any innovation to achieve commercial success, it must meet global quality standards. With over 10,000 products developed under NBTI’s incubation network across the 36 states of Nigeria, the Board has played a pivotal role in ensuring that Nigerian innovations gain access to both local and international markets.
Dr. Raji further stressed the importance of quality assurance in product commercialization, citing NBTI’s strategic collaborations with regulatory agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to uphold stringent quality control measures. He also highlighted NBTI’s role in facilitating market access through trade fairs, exhibitions, and business linkages.
Commending the High Tech Centre’s contributions to youth and women’s training, he encouraged the organization to prioritize product development and invest in robust R&D initiatives to maximize the socio-economic impact of their innovations.
This partnership marks a significant milestone in the collective drive to advance Nigeria’s technology sector, foster youth entrepreneurship, and strengthen digital transformation efforts in alignment with the national development agenda.
Olajumoke David
Chief Information and Public Relations Officer
NBTI, Abuja
