The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has inaugurated the 2025 edition of the Startup Consultative Forum (SCF) in a bid to deepen stakeholder engagement and shape the future of Nigeria’s rapidly evolving tech ecosystem.
Speaking during the virtual launch, NITDA director-general, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi emphasised that the forum reflects the government’s unwavering commitment to embedding innovation at the heart of national development. Represented by the agency’s acting director of regulation and compliance, Emmanuel Edet, Abdullahi said the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA), signed into law in 2022, was never intended to be just another policy document. Rather, it signifies a new social compact that recognises startups not simply as participants but as central architects of the country’s economic trajectory.
According to him, Nigeria’s digital economy has transitioned from playing a supportive role to becoming a strategic engine for job creation, youth empowerment and global competitiveness. He explained that the Startup Consultative Forum would serve as a platform to identify regulatory hurdles, promote targeted investment opportunities, and create pathways for meaningful cross-sector partnerships. Abdullahi further described the forum as a tool that will help the government remain alert to emerging shifts within the tech ecosystem and navigate its complexities with clarity, honesty and forward-thinking engagement.
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment to an inclusive and responsive process, Abdullahi assured participants of NITDA’s readiness to listen, engage and deliver tangible outcomes that support startups and promote innovation across the country.
The national coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Victoria Fabunmi also addressed the forum. She reiterated that startups are crucial engines of employment and innovation in any economy and outlined SCF’s focus areas as funding, investment, policy, regulation and support for global competitiveness. According to her, the forum offers a strategic space for nurturing these pillars and ensuring they operate in harmony to strengthen the overall ecosystem.
The event also marked the formal nomination and selection of representatives for the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship – popularly known as the Startup Council – which serves as the highest advisory body for Nigeria’s startup community. Stakeholders in attendance included labelled startups, verified entrepreneurship support organisations, angel investors and venture capitalists. With this launch, NITDA takes another step toward building an inclusive, innovative, and economically transformative digital future.
