Frm left, Njideka Harry, CEO YTF, Ambassador Daniel Dargent; Belgium’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Patricia Obozuwa; Director, Communications and Public Affairs, GE Africa, Philippe De Backer; Belgium’s Minister of Digital Agenda, Telecommunications And Postal Services
An international not-for-profit organisation, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) on Saturday said the organisation has partnered with GE Garage and Belgian government to boost tech startups in Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer, YTF, Mrs Njideka Harry said that the partnership was a part of the organisation’s effort to assist Nigerian technology start-ups to grow and reach their maximum potential through its 3D Africa programme.
Harry in a statement added that the partnership which took place at GE Electric Lagos office, hosted a pitch and networking session for local youth-led tech start-ups and entrepreneurs in Lagos.
According to her, the session is a continuation of the organisation’s objective to equip the next generation with the skills necessary to excel in the world of work.
“This is about empowering the next generation of leaders to enter the workforce with the skills they need to access employment or create their entrepreneurial opportunities in the fourth industrial revolution.
“Our programme utilise technology to inspire youth and women in developing nations to create innovative solutions to the challenges they encounter.
“We are pleased to have been able to collaborate with GE Garage for this initiative,” she said.
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Harry added that the YTF’s 3D Africa would not relent in its quest to change Africa’s narrative from dependence on foreign technology to being self-sustaining through “meeting the increased global demand for emerging and disruptive technologies, like 3D printing.
She said that the pitches from youth-led technology start-ups and scale-ups from Nigeria were presented to the Belgian Minister of Digital Agenda, Philippe De Backer and his Silicon Lagoon Mission delegation.
Also speaking, Director, Communications & Public Affairs, GE Africa, Mrs Patricia Obozuwa said GE was happy to have partnered with Youth for Technology for the session.
“At GE, we are passionate about empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs with relevant skills to compete on a global scale, and this is what we have been doing through our GE Lagos Garage.
“We are happy for this opportunity to work with Youth for Technology’s 3D Africa.
“Their vision aligns with ours, and we are happy to say that as critical stakeholders, we have made our contributions to Lagos’ and Nigeria’s vibrant technology start-up communities,” she said.
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Also, De Backer said that his mission to Nigeria was to connect with the country’s vibrant technology start-up community in Lagos, explore partnership potentials, and raise awareness about digital for development opportunities in Africa’s most prominent tech hub.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that apart from the pitch presentations, participants also had the opportunity to network with players in youth-led start-ups and scale-ups in the technology space, entrepreneurs, investors, private sector companies and academics amongst others.
The event also featured a presentation from the prestigious Solvay Business School of Belgium about entrepreneurial projects related to student trade missions and internships.
The Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Daniel Dargent, Director of International Relations, Startup.be, Frederik Tibau, and founder and CEO, Close-the-Gap, Olivier Vanden Eynde were also among the Belgian delegation at the pitching and networking session.
The event was titled: ‘Building a Viable Hardware Ecosystem in Nigeria’.
