FG says national innovation hubs framework will strengthen Nigeria’s ecosystem at Lagos workshop

Nigeria’s proposed framework for innovation hubs is being presented as a route to strengthening the organisations that support startups, not simply the startups themselves.

More than 60 hub operators, founders, investors and other stakeholders gathered at CcHub in Lagos for a technical validation workshop. The meeting followed a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja and focused on the National Innovation Hubs Standard Framework, developed by the National Information Technology Development Agency through its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation and convened by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.

The framework would create a common national approach for identifying, classifying, assuring the quality of and continuously improving innovation hubs. It assesses seven areas: governance, infrastructure, programme delivery, human capital, networks and partnerships, track record, and sustainability.

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It is a living document. We are being open-minded. Whatever questions they have, we are happy to answer and provide context. Where what is provided is insufficient, we are able to take that feedback and tweak it so that by the time we are putting out the final framework to be implemented, it would be a reflection of all the feedback and input of the ecosystem.

CcHub facilitator Gbanaibolulou Burutolu explained the proposed assessment process and the defining features of a hub, including its structure and documentation of activities. Participants also examined three proposed tiers: foundational, established and leading, and considered where their own hubs might fit.

Victoria Fabunmi, national coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, said stakeholders had questioned how inclusive the framework would be and whether it could become another licensing mechanism. “It is a living document,” she said. “We are being open-minded. Whatever questions they have, we are happy to answer and provide context. Where what is provided is insufficient, we are able to take that feedback and tweak it so that by the time we are putting out the final framework to be implemented, it would be a reflection of all the feedback and input of the ecosystem.”

Fabunmi said innovation hubs often receive less recognition than the startups they support. “It is very clear the role innovation hubs play within the context of our ecosystem. They do a lot of work that people really don’t recognise or appreciate. We often focus on startups. But now we are spotlighting the people who provide support to the startups.”

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It is very clear the role innovation hubs play within the context of our ecosystem. They do a lot of work that people really don’t recognise or appreciate. We often focus on startups. But now we are spotlighting the people who provide support to the startups.