NITDA Moves to Accelerate Implementation of Nigeria’s Startup Act Incentives
Representing NITDA’s Director-General, the National Coordinator of ONDI, Ms Victoria Fagbani, said Nigeria has made progress since the enactment of the Startup Act but must now focus more strongly on delivering measurable outcomes.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its subsidiary Office of Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) , has held a co-creation session in Abuja to examine ways of accelerating the implementation of incentives provided under Nigeria’s Startup Act.
The session brought together stakeholders to discuss practical measures for activating the incentives and translating the legislation into tangible benefits for startups and businesses within Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Representing NITDA’s Director-General, the National Coordinator of ONDI, Ms Victoria Fagbani, said Nigeria has made progress since the enactment of the Startup Act but must now focus more strongly on delivering measurable outcomes.
She noted that the establishment of the Startup Consultative Forum and its governance structures has created a platform for sustained engagement among stakeholders. However, she stressed that the effectiveness of the legislation would ultimately be measured by its impact on businesses and the wider innovation ecosystem.
According to Fagbani, government agencies, private-sector organisations and other ecosystem stakeholders must work collectively to eliminate institutional bottlenecks and ensure startups can access the opportunities created by the Act.
She also pointed out that participating institutions have different mandates, resources and policy instruments which, if properly coordinated, could significantly improve the operating environment for Nigerian startups.
“We want to go to the next level. We want to be able to say that the actors in our ecosystem have been able to benefit significantly from the legislation that has been passed, and it wouldn’t happen without everyone sitting in this room.”
– Ms Victoria Fagbani, National Coordinator, ONDI
NITDA urged stakeholders to shift their focus from the existence of the Startup Act to its practical implementation, particularly the activation of incentives designed to promote investment, innovation and enterprise growth.
