- FG’ll Partner Entrepreneurs on Innovation Growth – Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said the Federal Government would be in partnership with the private sector and technology entrepreneurs on how to increase the level of innovation coming into the country.
He stated that the partnership was borne out of the need to invest in the technology sector as the economy expands.
Osinbajo stated this at the Africa Fintech Foundry in Lagos, owned and controlled by Access Bank, during a tour of some technology hubs in the state.
He commended the bank for playing a huge leadership role in technology advancement in the country and challenged it not to relent in its efforts to take banking to the underserved and the unserved areas through innovation.
The Vice President called on Nigerians, especially the youths, to look inwards and begin to do things creatively with innovation in mind, while also urging them to put integrity at the forefront of their dealings.
“Innovation is the future of Nigeria. We must combine it with integrity if we must move our country forward. I have been to Andela, Farmcrowdy and others, and have seen what the youths are capable of doing. They are just fantastic. We must create the environment for them to thrive. Innovation will be the toast of our nation in the future,” he stated.
According to him, Nigeria has suffered lack of integrity, “but what has happened in the last few years shows that we can actually change and we are changing. There are people of integrity in Nigeria; we need to build that trust and show it to people outside.”
He had earlier said that the Federal Government was building technology hubs in six universities across the country, noting that it had started with the University of Lagos.
Osinbajo stated that there would be a ‘University Information Technology Challenge’ across varsities and polytechnics in the country, adding, “This will enable the country to discover more technology talents and technology entrepreneurs.”
Earlier, the Executive Director, Information and Technology and Operations, Access Bank, Ade Bajomo, said the lender was at the forefront of innovation in the country, “because it recognises that things are moving fast and that the banking sector will be disrupted.”
