As the Edo Innovation Hub marks its one-year anniversary this June, the Edo State Government has said that the milestones being recorded at the hub are changing the technology ecosystem within the state and the South-South geopolitical zone, providing room for capacity building and technology-driven solutions to everyday problems.
Senior Special Assistant to the Edo State Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation and Head, Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs), Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, in a statement, said the state government is working closely with major stakeholders in Nigeria’s technology space to ensure more high-impact innovations are birthed at the hub to boost wealth creation among Nigerians.
She said aside regular, government-backed trainings on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), coding and Artificial Intelligence, the hub plays host to the South-South Innovation Hub, which is a regional center for innovation created by the Vice President’s office under its Social Investment Programme (SIP).
She noted, “We are marking the one-year anniversary of Edo Innovation Hub, also known as Edo Innovates. There is no denying that we have recorded immense success in the area of capacity building in the technology ecosystem. The hub is an expression of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s desire to groom youths to become change agents using technology.”
Some of the training programmes include those organized by Curators University to train youths on Artificial Intelligence (AI); EdoBits, for school leavers who wish to develop expertise in technology; LinkedIn meetup sessions, among others.
She explained that relevant industry stakeholders have provided the support that has led to the success of the Hub in the last one year, ensuring that there was continuous activity at the Hub.
She said: “We have trained more than 1000 young people on technology in various areas, including gender-sensitive areas, where women were the focus of the intervention. We have received support from a long list of industry giants and more are still lining up to partner with us. So, it has been an eventful journey.”
