Nigeria has taken a bold step toward deepening its innovation ecosystem with the official launch of the Startup Consultative Forum, an initiative designed to accelerate the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA) and strengthen the country’s tech startup ecosystem, the event took place on Monday, April 28, 2025.
NITDA’s Director General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, who was represented by Barrister Emmanuel Edet, the Ag. Director, Regulation and Compliance described the platform as more than just a stakeholder meeting. “It is a commitment to building a stronger tech ecosystem through collaboration, inclusion, and data-driven governance, marking a new phase in the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act,” he said.
The Nigeria Startup Act is more than legislation—it is a framework for national development. “Startups are not fringe players. They are central to Nigeria’s economic future,” he asserted.
Over the past eight months, NITDA has driven key activities under the Act. These include stakeholder workshops across 10 states, roadshows at tech events like Lagos Tech Week, the Omniverse Summit, Moonlight Conference and the Akwa Ibom Tech Week, and awareness campaigns through digital and direct engagement, he stated.
According to Inuwa, the forum will serve as a feedback engine, spotlighting regulatory gaps, guiding policy improvements, and shaping a startup-friendly environment.
Under the Renewed Hope Agenda and the guidance of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, NITDA continues to support startups through initiatives like the Startup Portal, tech infrastructure deployment, and digital skill training across the country.
For startups to thrive, policies must be inclusive and responsive. “Inclusion is not charity. It is a strategy,” calling for equal representation across gender, region, and sector, the DG emphasized.
While inaugurating the members if the Conservative Forum On behalf of the Director-General, the Director of IT Infrastructure Solutions, Oladejo Olawunmi, while inaugurating members on conservative forum, with a call to action, envisioning it as a vital nexus for collaborative breakthroughs. He inspired the members, saying, “We remain deeply committed to nurturing a space where innovation can flourish, and I call upon each of us to embrace the task ahead by shaping ideas into concrete policy and outcomes that leave a lasting impact.”
National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Victoria Fabunmi, in her speech called the Forum, a “structured dialogue between those building the future and those enabling it.” She outlined five key pillars for success: access to funding, capacity building, supportive policy, inclusive innovation, and global competitiveness.
“This Forum must be a problem-solving platform, not another talk shop,” She urged startups to speak boldly, private sector players to offer more than capital, development partners to scale what works, and government to harmonize efforts, she concluded.
NITDA aims to turn policy into action, ensuring startups are no longer on the sidelines, but at the center of Nigeria’s innovation journey, with the Startup Consultative Forum now launched,
Private sector players, that attended the virtual meeting are as follow: development agencies, verified Ecosystem Support Organizations (ESOs), angel investors, venture capital firms, and labelled startups from across the country.
