Contrary to earlier speculations that ICT vendors and allied investors will rush the newly inaugurated Edo Innovation Hub (EIH), located at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) in Benin City, two months after, the facility is gradually becoming a ghost establishment.
Otherwise, many of the office clusters are yet to be let out and occupied by targeted ICT vendors.
Currently plays host to Mobicure, a tech business that provides mothers access to doctors, as well as Toogle Nigeria Limited (5k Academy), a web-based training provider, which facilitates professional training on project management, marketing, programming, among others.
Accordingly, the state governor, Godwin Obaseki has strategic combing of App developers and allied vendors to cash in on the state-of-the-earth facilities at the hub.
Government said on Monday that it has opened its doors for entrepreneurs in Edo State and environs to take opportunity of its co-working spaces and other facilities made available at the technology cluster in driving innovation and strengthening the tentacles of the tech ecosystem in the state.
Business Hilights recalls that EIH which is a brainchild of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is a fully-furnished cluster for technology companies, fitted with state-of-the-art support structures including high-speed internet, power, indoor and outdoor workspaces, library, conference rooms, training rooms, among others.
The hub also hosts the South-South Innovation Hub, an initiative of the federal government, domiciled in the Vice President’s office for youths in South-South Nigeria to leverage technology in solving everyday problems.
Explaining more, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said that the Edo Innovation Hub is arguably one of the best equipped and furnished spaces to run a start-up company in Southern Nigeria.
Dare said, “We are excited to be opening up the Edo Innovates cluster to budding entrepreneurs in Edo State and environs. We are open to working with them, providing the enabling environment to nurture their start-ups, and training and other benefits of a co-working space.” She noted that some of the services provided in the hub include virtual office, shared desks, dedicated desks, private office and serviced office, all of which have access to services such as mail handling, electricity, business support, workshop and training and networking opportunities. She said some of the programmes outlined for the third quarter of the year at the hub are Microsoft and Tech4Dev digital skills training for entrepreneurs; Curators University’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Science boot camp for 49 budding developers; Microsoft’s Basic Digital Literacy for Teachers; and Oracle train-the-trainers programme for teachers”.
Other activities include Butterflyworks Netherlands’s three-day co-creation event, which will engage the local community, youths and employers.
