Start Innovation Hub, one of the foremost incubation hubs in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, has recounted its five-year success in developing competencies in the area of capacity building and bespoke software development for organic, local talents, with in demand skills in design, coding and digital marketing.
Celebrating the fifth anniversary of the innovation hub, Hanson Johnson, founder of Start innovation hub said; “We strongly believe that information technology is the key. As the country is desirous to diversify from the oil, we believe that the youths are the drivers of this new narrative. We established this hub to bring ICT closer to people and not going to Lagos every time they need to source for IT solutions be it in software or skills.”
“We also envisaged while establishing this hub that we can outsource and export skills and capacity to various organizations and countries. We did put measures to ensure that this come into fruition. Today, we can say that we have been able to achieve some of our set objectives such that we have many of our local talents working for organizations in faraway countries in Europe and other organizations in the country,”Hanson said.
The hub also launched Jiggle, a mobile app designed to help solve meal budgeting problems across Nigeria, leveraging digital payment.
Speaking at the anniversary event, Aniedi Udobong, managing developer ecosystem for Google, Sub-Saharan Africa, said; “we at Google are impressed with Hanson and the tremendous strides he has made in the ecosystem. Having set the pace of what a hub should be and having developed talents, we are excited to have him as our partner especially in our annual program known as GDG DevFest.”
With this in mind, the hub created Project CREATE, a job guaranteed ICT training designed to equip enable to produce globally recognized talents. This has prompted global brands to take note.
Recently, Edidiong Asikpo, one of the graduates of the program who is now a software developer at Interswitch, was recognised by Facebook as an icon of change in Africa.
Within these 5 years, Start Innovation Hub has not only developed skills, the organization has partnered with global giants such as Facebook, Google and a host of other major players in the IT ecosystem to bring value to Niger Delta region and Nigeria.
Women and girls are not left out in the yearly program of the hub. The hub assimilated women into their agenda with the establishment of Starthub Women, the hub has been able to impact into the lives of women by incorporating IT in whatever they do and demystifying ICT for women and kids through Maker’s Club Holiday Program for the young ones.
Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson
