The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Friday performed the foundation-laying ceremony for the Renewed Hope Start-Up Hub in Wuye, Abuja, to advance technological development and youth empowerment.
Tinubu said the project marked another significant step towards promoting youth empowerment and digital inclusion across the country.
The project is being supervised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The First Lady commended NITDA and JICA for providing the strategic grant that facilitated the project, noting that the partnership reflected a shared belief in Nigeria’s untapped digital potential and vibrant youth population.
“I commend the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Abdullahi, and the entire teams for their commitment in securing this partnership.
“The establishment of start-up hubs across the nation aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which prioritises youth empowerment through entrepreneurship.
“President Tinubu also prioritises skills development and sustainable job creation, equipping young Nigerians to compete and thrive in the global economy,” she said.
Tinubu said the hub would serve as a national centre for incubation, hardware prototyping, research and international business collaboration.
She encouraged young Nigerians to take advantage of the facility to develop innovative solutions and build sustainable businesses.
“To our young innovators, this Start-Up Hub is yours. You can arrive here with a sketch and leave with a working prototype that takes you into the global market space.
“Let this hub be the home where your dreams are nurtured and scaled.
“To our partners from Japan, we say: ‘Arigato gozaimasu’ (thank you). You have shown that true friendship between nations is measured by the opportunities it creates for the next generation,” she said.
The First Lady urged the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and NITDA to ensure that the completed facility would be accessible and inclusive.
In his remarks, NITDA Director-General, Malam Kashifu Abdullahi, expressed appreciation to the First Lady for attending the ceremony and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to fulfilling its mandate in line with the aspirations of the Tinubu administration.
He said the project represented an investment in the creativity, resilience and entrepreneurial ambition of Nigerians, particularly young people.
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“We are investing in our people, the ingenuity of our people, particularly our young people, whose creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial ambition are our greatest asset as a nation.
“We thank you for your leadership, for your commitment and for your presence here at this ceremony. Your commitment to empowering women, young people, and vulnerable communities resonates with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“It also resonates with his conviction that building a nation and development cannot be achieved without making all our people have access and participate in building that nation,” he said.
