Benue govt, Japan partner to develop digital ecosystem

Benue State Government and the Japanese government have entered into a partnership to develop the digital, technological ecosystem of the state.

The Program Team leader for Benue Test Kits, Mr Jeff Udende, who disclosed this on Friday in Makurdi, said that it was in fulfillment of the state governor, Hyacinth Alia, to create jobs in the digital economy.

Udende gave the terms of partnership to, among others, develop and build the technical skills of startups from scratch as well as source funds for them to grow into a tech company.

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He said that the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is carrying out this obligation, noting that the project is expected to create jobs for the youths and also attract revenue to the state.

According to Udende, “This is an initiative of the Benue Governor when the state government trained 10, 000 youths in ICT. There were two (2) phases; some were trained for direct jobs and others to be employers of labour.

“Those people came together in different technical skills. So, the benefit of partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is to build these startups from scratch; everything that concerns building the final startup to be selected on the demo day 100 percent will come from JICA.

“That is from registration of their company to sourcing funds for them to grow will be powered by JICA. The Benue State Government will hand over the winners to JICA to develop them.

“They will be showcasing what they have built so far, and the winner will be fully funded for them to become a tech company. The benefit is that these companies will bring revenue to Benue. Most of them are doing it in local content, and it is solving problems already.

“It is a fulfillment of the promise of the Governor to create jobs in the digital economy to showcase what Benue can do in this sector.”

Also speaking Não Fawa Fuwa JICA Expert on Strategy and startup covering Nigeria and the entire Africa said JICA has been working and offering supporting in Nigeria since 2020.

Fuwa, who said that most people think Lagos and Abuja are centers of innovation, observed that Benue can be a center of innovation.

He said, “I saw so many innovative ideas, and I think Benue can be an innovation hub in this area. That is my expectation, and JICA is always supporting Benue in this area. We are committed to their startup for the future. We will provide technical support to the 7 winners.”

During the event, several tech/ICT groups showcased their expertise in the area of digital technology, particularly in creating programs and sites meant to solve societal and social problems. At the end, seven groups emerged winners.