By BONIFACE AKARAH

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called for stronger coordination among government institutions and private-sector stakeholders to turn the Nigerian Startup Act into tangible benefits for startups and investors.

Speaking at the Nigerian Startup Act (NSA) Incentives Activation Co-Creation Session in Abuja, organised by NITDA’s Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, said the focus must now shift from having the legislation in place to making its incentives accessible to businesses.

Represented by ONDI National Coordinator, Victoria Fabunmi, Inuwa said the establishment of the Startup Consultative Forum and digital startup portal were important milestones, but stressed that implementation remained the real test of the Act.

“We want to go to the next level. We want to be able to say that the actors in our ecosystem have been able to benefit significantly from the legislation that has been passed,” Inuwa said.

He said agencies across trade, finance, communications, innovation, science and technology must work together to identify gaps, clarify responsibilities and remove institutional bottlenecks preventing startups from accessing available incentives.

Inuwa also called for continuous engagement with the startup ecosystem, saying the implementation framework must remain responsive to the changing needs of entrepreneurs and investors.

Providing details of the incentives, Acting Lead, Strategy, Research and Analytics at ONDI, Elma Andah, said the NSA provides more than 31 incentives across six categories, covering tax and fiscal incentives, regulatory support, funding, exports and trade, ecosystem development, and training and capacity building.

Andah said the implementation involves more than 15 government institutions, making inter-agency cooperation critical.

“No single institution can deliver all these incentives alone. Implementation requires coordination across more than 15 MDAs,” Andah said.

She said the Nigerian Startup Act, signed into law on October 19, 2022, was designed to promote innovation, improve access to funding and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a technology-driven economy.

According to Andah, Nigeria has more than 3,000 startups, while its startups attracted about $410 million in funding in 2024, despite the challenging economic environment.

She listed progress under the Act to include the startup support engagement portal, improved startup labelling timelines, the Startup Consultative governance framework, the Startup Investment Seed Fund framework and ongoing work on the regulatory sandbox.

Andah, however, said the interconnected nature of the incentives means beneficiaries may need support from multiple agencies to access them.

“The interconnected nature of these incentives means that implementation requires clarity of ownership, strong coordination and simplified access procedures,” she said.

She cited situations where a startup seeking funding could also require tax incentives, while an exporter might need regulatory approvals and an investor seeking tax credits could depend on the startup labelling system.

The session therefore focused on identifying implementation gaps, clarifying institutional responsibilities and developing practical mechanisms for making the incentives accessible to startups, investors and innovation hubs.

NITDA said the outcome of the engagement is expected to strengthen implementation of the Startup Act and increase its contribution to innovation, investment and economic growth.

•PHOTO: Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, represented by the National Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Ms Victoria Fabunmi, in a group photograph with participants from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the Nigerian Startup Act (NSA) Incentives Activation Co-Creation Workshop in Abuja.