FG, Seedbuilders Agree to Build Capacity of Tech Innovators

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The federal government has agreed with Seedbuilders Nigeria to develop capacity of tech innovators that can to move Nigeria into technology space globally.

The Director of National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Mr. Yau Isa disclosed this plan during a working visit to the Seedbuilders Innovation Hub (SIH) in Abuja at the weekend.

NCAIR, an agency of the federal government, is the National Information Technology Development Agency’s special purpose vehicles created to promote research and development on emerging technologies and their practical application in areas of Nigerian national interest.

During the visit to the innovation hub, NCAIR’s director promised to partner Seedbuilders Nigeria and other tech hubs across the federation to move Nigeria fully into technology space.

He said: “We are here to see what they do and see where we can collaborate. What we are trying to do is to collaborate with the Seedbuilders Innovation Hub. We will also give them access to all the facilities that are available at the centre.

“They can make use of them in order to promote tech initiatives so that we can move the country forward and into the technology space,” the director explained during the visit to the innovation hub.

He, also, explained that the NCAIR had conducted research in emerging technologies, which according to him, ranged from artificial intelligence, robotics and drones, virtual reality, block chains and internet of things.

“In Seebuilders hub, we see a lot of commonalities between what we do and what they do. We see areas in artificial intelligence where they are conducting research. We see they are doing some work on drones and robotics.

“These areas are areas that we are passionate about. We feel they provide a good opportunity for us to collaborate in this area. It is the mandate of the centre to support tech hubs and collaborate with them particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics and drones.

“We have agreed to have regular interactions. So, we are planning to have events, meetings so that we can be exchanging ideas. We are also planning to have a sort of expo day where all the tech hubs in Abuja will showcase what they have. This is part of the things we are planning to do. We hope to achieve this feat before the end of the year,” he said.

The NCAIR Director said the centre “is well equipped for makers, designers and people that are doing research. What they want is for Seedbuilders to come and make use of these facilities to enhance their innovations.

In his response, Co-founder, Seebuilders Innovation Hub, Mr. Olaoluwa Olorunisomo said he was elated that the Director came visiting and promised to partner the hub in improving the tech ecosystem.

On the proposed partnership, Olorunisomo said: “We were excited to be honoured by a working visit by the director of NCAIR. They came to the Seebuilders Innovation Hub. We were able to discuss challenges innovation hubs face.

“Basically, we have start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators in the robotics and artificial intelligence space. The proposed partnership between Seedbuilders and NCAIR is necessary because we have clusters of innovators.

“They understand that we do more of the work because we have the clusters of social innovators. We have the clusters of tech enthusiasts with us in our community and they are looking for ways where we can join hands together because we are the ones in the private sector and they are the ones in the public sector. We are working together to build the technology ecosystem.”

He said the visit would be beneficial to the hub and their teeming innovators, saying the collaboration would help build a technology ecosystem that would thrive where entrepreneurs and start-ups could benefit from the programmes of the government.

He added that Seedbuilders would partner the centre in the area of drone technology, artificial intelligence and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

“We are going to be partnering in training teams such as drone technology robotics. We are planning to organise an artificial intelligence audition in October together so that we are able to get people that have solution.

“Solutions can actually help in areas of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is one of the areas the centre has agreed to partner with us. We see it as an opportunity to build the technology ecosystem where the policy makers understand what the young entrepreneurs and start-ups are facing and able to see how they can help out,” Olorunnisomo said.