ABUJA – THE Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima on Wednesday said the Federal Government, partnering with Ericsson, targets 50,000 young Nigerians for digital mentorship, skills training, and startup support through the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon.
The Vice President stated this at the official launch of the four-month programmof at the State House Conference Hall, Abuja.
He explained that the programme eeks to propel Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, creating jobs and shifting the nation from tech consumer to global exporter.
Represented by Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Shettima hailed the initiative as a blueprint for digital dominance.
He stated that the hackathon has been designed as a nationwide innovation pipeline beginning with open applications and large-scale mentorship expected to engage about 50,000 participants drawn from universities, startups and technology hubs across the country.
“This hackathon isn’t just a contest—it’s our pipeline to turn Nigeria’s youth into world-class innovators, coding solutions that power global systems,” he said.
With the registration portal opening today until March 10, 2026, officials say, 50 high-potential teams will be shortlisted from the broad pool, for intensive technical guidance and product development support, before narrowing to 10 finalists for incubation and acceleration, with eventual winners positioned as emerging industry leaders capable of building scalable solutions for local and global markets.
According to the Vice President, the programme aligns directly with President Bola Tinubu’s economic priorities, particularly job creation and youth empowerment, stressing that employment generation in the 21st century is inseparable from digital capability and technological innovation.
“A brilliant line of code written in Nigeria can power systems anywhere in the world,” he said, stressing that Nigeria’s youthful population remains its strongest advantage in the unfolding digital revolution.
He noted that exposing young Nigerians to emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, Internet of Things and sustainable technologies would strengthen the country’s workforce and stimulate technology-driven entrepreneurship.
The Vice President further observed that the global economy has evolved into a borderless knowledge ecosystem where innovation is no longer limited by geography, adding that Nigeria’s youthful population remains its greatest competitive advantage in the unfolding digital revolution.
He said the initiative is structured to convert the nation’s demographic strength into economic productivity through structured mentorship, incubation and private-sector collaboration.
Also speaking, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, said government is deliberately investing in knowledge-based growth, describing hackathons as platforms that move ideas from curiosity to commercial value while nurturing problem-solving skills among young innovators.
In his remarks, the Nigerian Country Manager of Ericsson, Mr. Peter Olusoji Ogundele, said the partnership reflects the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda, noting that sustained investment in infrastructure and skills transfer would enable the country to export digital talent globally and strengthen competitiveness in the knowledge economy.
Development partners equally reaffirmed their support for the programme. The Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Massimo De Luca, described investments in digital skills and public-private partnerships as strategic choices capable of shaping inclusive growth and long-term economic resilience, while the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, said the initiative reflects the strength of international collaboration anchored on youth empowerment and innovation.
Earlier, the Special Assistant to the President on Project Support, Shuhdah Ahmed, said the partnership between the Office of the Vice President and Ericsson bridges the gap between education and industry through structured mentorship and practical learning, while the Special Assistant to the President on ICT Policy, Dr. Salihu Ibrahim Dasuki, noted that the programme goes beyond training to measurable outcomes involving universities, startups and innovation ecosystems nationwide.
Stakeholders at the launch collectively described the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon as more than a competition, but a coordinated national effort to translate policy into productivity, nurture home-grown digital solutions and firmly position Nigeria as a competitive force in the global knowledge economy.
