The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and the Nest Innovation Technology Park have partnered to launch the Nigeria Innovation Cluster Exchange (NICE) to address fragmentation in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
The Co-founder of The Nest Innovation Technology Park, Mr. Oluwajoba Oloba, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Oloba said the initiative is funded by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub under the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme and implemented by The Nest.
He described NICE as a landmark pilot designed to connect entrepreneurship support organisations, research centres, and innovation hubs into a coordinated national network.
Oloba noted that Nigeria’s startup ecosystem has recorded rapid growth across FinTech, Agri-Tech, Cyber Tech, and HealthTech.
However, he said many innovation support organisations still operate in silos, leading to duplicated efforts and weak sustainability for startups.
According to him, NICE will organise these actors into a data-driven national network to improve collaboration and strengthen innovation outcomes.
“Today, we are moving from celebrating isolated pockets of brilliance to engineering a collective national engine for growth,” Oloba said.
He said NICE would unify entrepreneurship support organisations and startups, enabling them to function as a coordinated innovation network across the country.
“We are not just launching a programme; we are activating the connective tissue Nigeria’s economy has long demanded,” he said.
Oloba said the initiative was developed from insights gained during the 2025 UK Digital Trade and Innovation Tour, coordinated by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub in collaboration with the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI).
He noted that the programme adapts global innovation practices to Nigeria’s ecosystem while addressing coordination challenges affecting startup development.
Oloba cited data showing youth underemployment exceeding 53 per cent, while fewer than 10 per cent of startups survive beyond their third year.
He said the pilot would strengthen innovation clusters across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through mapping, knowledge exchange, collaborative innovation, and sustainability models.
The initiative will support key sectors including Agri-Tech, Cyber Tech, and HealthTech to promote economic diversification and national development.
The pilot phase of NICE commenced on July 6, with participation from entrepreneurship support organisations, research institutions, and industry stakeholders.
