Lagos to boost Information Technology KITE project

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The Lagos State Government is set to domesticate the Nigerian Startup Act(NSA 2022), as part of the efforts to push the Information Technology and innovation agenda for investors in Nigeria.

The state government has therefore organized a policy review workshop at the Eko Innovation Centre, with innovators, Infotech experts startup founders, and enthusiasts, which led to the establishment of the Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship(KITE) project.

The new project as gathered will begin in the Yaba area of the state as a result of the concentration of internet-enabled business in that part of the state.

Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor, on Innovation and Technology, Mr Tunbosun Alake, said that the NSA2022 regulations would assist startups in registering quicker, and obtaining permits faster, thereby boosting the ease of doing business.

The Lagos government’s top official also stated that: “To drive the ecosystem and boost innovation, each state throughout the federation needs to adopt distinct legislation that will help foster and deepen startup activity.

“Lagos’ startup policy structure has been in development for some time before the Act. The regulations will assist startups in registering quicker, obtaining permits faster, and easing business for commercial organisations classified as startups.”

Alake also continued that “It is critical for entrepreneurs in the ecosystem to participate in the workshop review to have an impact on the state legislation being drafted.

“The KITE project is like Silicon valley in that it will be a state-wide initiative that will create ICT clusters, which will promote innovation throughout the state as well benefit the nation’s economy,”

Leader of the Lagos State House of an assembly committee on science and technology, Olanrewaju Afinni, urged private sector stakeholders to look over the law and make it as complete as possible so that there would not be the need for it to be changed often.

On her part, one of the private stakeholders who championed the Nigerian Startup Act movement, Tracy Okoro, said the NSA2022 was the outcome of people’s desire for change, adding that it succeeded because a group of young people came together to champion the move.

Okoro said “We have a volunteer group of over 800 people who drove this from beginning to end without demanding payment.

“The Act is significant for connecting the government with the business sector.”

Anchor of the workshop, Wale Adelaja, explained that the workshop was organised to allow the private sector and government agencies to review the policies established in the KITE project.

Adelaja said, “For an ICT business, cluster, or ecosystem to be sustainable, policies to support its longevity are required.”

The Nigerian Startup Act NSA2022 defines Nigerian startups, their scope, operations, incentives, and limits to attract foreign investment and open up the Nigerian tech industry.

A startup, according to the Act, is “a firm that has been in operation for no more than ten years, which aims include the invention, innovation, production, development, or adoption of a new digital technology creative product, service, or method.”

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