Tech hub seeks to make northern Nigeria a tech outsourcing hub. Nigerian tech giants, nHub, have taken the bold step of creating a tech innovative hub in northern Nigeria, right in the heart of plateau state, Jos. With a primary goal to empower tech entrepreneurs on their journey to build great ideas out of little or nothing, solely aimed at start ups to further boost tech innovation.
Although geographically positioned in a region battling with insurgence and insecurity, the founders have found an opportunity in this region, as most tech hubs are found in the larger industrial cities.
Over a phone interview with the founders of nHub, Daser David and Hyginus Horson, they explained that “the lifestyle in the Nigerian capital, Abuja and commercial capital, Lagos, was less than an ideal environment for developing products. And the expensive nature of the town wasn’t favouring innovation”
nHub founders gained a name for the success of their last hackathon project in march 2015, cutting across web, desktop, hardware and mobile projects, the first of its kind in the region, a surprising number of 30 coders in 9 teams from Jos, Abuja and Bauchi were in attendance, winners were awarded for their mobile-based GSM home automation system. The system uses a mobile device from anywhere in the world to control electrical appliances in the home or office. It is also able to detect temperature, light intensity and motion changes in the environment and give feedback on the state of the appliances to a mobile user interface.
NHub founders have made a mark within the region especially for its training programs, since its inception in September 2015, they can boast of over 20 interns on the path of getting retained. An interesting part of the nHub journey is the background of its founders, both alumni of the University of Jos, and already working on a tech training partnership with their Alma mater. Vice president, Yemi Osibanjo at the ICT for Change Empowerment Programme between the Federal Government and Huawei Technologies said “We are looking at developing existing hubs and to see how we can empower those who are already working in the various ICT hubs round the nation”.
The success story of the Yabacon valley in lagos can be diffused to other parts of the nation instead of stemming the creative ability of young innovators in other parts of the nation, the Yaba tech hub alone has been able to draw banking institutions, educational institutions, technology and start-up companies which steadily attracts investors, venture capitalists and large numbers of enthusiasts from round the world. NHub founders say they are also in the works for gaining more support from the government.
The importance of technological input in Nigeria’s economy cannot be over stressed as organizations and industries aim at boosting tech inputs to maximize production, we cannot depend on foreign innovation for too long.
MARTINS NOEL
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