FACEBOOK in partnership with CcHub has launched a tech hub space known as the NG_Hub in Lagos as part of its ongoing investment in Africa.
The community hub represents Facebook’s first architectural commission in Africa and will be used to galvanise collaboration, learning and idea exchange among developers, start-ups and the wider tech community across Lagos.
Facebook has also announced its partnership with seven tech hubs across the country namely Ventures Platform (Abuja), nHub (Jos), Colab Hub (Kaduna), DI Hub (Kano), Start Innovation Hub (Uyo), Roar Hub (Enugu) and Ken Saro Wiwa Hub (Port Harcourt).
According to the Head of Developer Programs, Facebook, Emeka Afigbo, who spoke at the launch in Yaba recently, the partnership with the tech hubs “will serve as centres of excellence and will feature dedicated Facebook spaces, where many of Facebook’s training sessions will take place, and a space where creatives and developers can book to help them advance their skills”.
“But the NG_Hub will be a focal point for a lot of the work we will be doing; not just in the technical system but also in the larger community to everybody who is interested in leveraging digital economy for economic empowerment. So, we are going to have developers, we are going to have people interested in digital skills.
“What we are trying to do is to create a network that would attract the best talents and leverage that talent to drive innovation in Nigerian and across the world,” he said.
The NG_Hub features bespoke works of art from local artists in Nigeria and includes workspaces, meeting rooms, a games and chill out room, an event space and a well catered café, and will also be the used for a number of training programmes aimed at attracting the best talents and driving innovation in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
Speaking on the training programmes and how technology can be used to expand businesses, Facebook’s Vice President of Partnerships Ime Archibong, said that “the training programmes include, the Fb Start Accelerator programme: a research and mentorship-driven programme aimed at empowering start-ups and students interested focused in those building solutions using advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
“Digify Pro Nigeria, a two-month intensive boot camp where 20 aspiring digital professionals will learn what it takes to have a career in digital marketing.
“#SheMeansBusiness: the first to launch on the continent, is a one-day training workshop and networking experience for female entrepreneurs, offering a mix of business and digital marketing training for women-led businesses, along with additional opportunities to network with fellow female entrepreneurs.
“Our mission is to build community and bring the world closer together.
NG_Hub provides that physical space that will serve as a centre of learning and skills development in Lagos, and I’m excited about the possibilities that this will create.”
Commenting on the partnership Bosun Tijani, Founder/CEO of CcHub, added: “Partnering with Facebook on NG_Hub enables us to achieve our objectives at scale and make the desired impact in the tech ecosystem here in Lagos.”
