Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon will position Nigeria as a global supplier of digital solutions and create technology sector jobs.
Mr Shettima, represented by deputy chief of staff, Ibrahim Hadeija, spoke on Wednesday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, during the initiativeโs launch.
He said the four-month programme would build on Nigeriaโs emergence as Africaโs leading hub for unicorns and global technology talent.
The vice-president described the hackathon as a key operational phase of the Memorandum of Understanding between Ericsson and the Nigerian government.
He said the MoU would focus on digitally upskilling Nigerian youths, policymakers and public sector decision-makers in modern technologies.
Mr Shettima added that the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubuโs job creation agenda by harnessing Nigeriaโs youthful population for the digital economy.
โPresident Bola Tinubu has placed job creation at the top of his priorities. This hackathon continues a deliberate national strategy.
โThe Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon is designed to deepen this reality and make Nigeria a supplier of solutions to the world.
โA brilliant line of code written in Abuja can power a system in Stockholm; a solution imagined in Kano can transform a farm in Kenya,โ Mr Shettima said.
He said the hackathon would empower young talents, start-ups and university students to build solutions using 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT and sustainable technologies.
โThe current Industrial Revolution, powered by 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT and sustainable technologies, is not a tide we can watch from the shore.
โHistory is unkind to nations that choose the back seat in moments of transformation,โ he said.
Mr Shettima noted that Nigeriaโs greatest asset is its human capital, stressing that its demographic dividend decisively favours the youth.
On Ericssonโs role, he said the partnership reinforced the firmโs position as a strategic enabler of Nigeriaโs digital transformation goals.
He said Ericsson would provide real-world applications of 5G, IoT platforms, edge computing and artificial intelligence in networks.
Mr Shettima added that Ericssonโs commitment to sustainability and energy-efficient networks aligned with Nigeriaโs national ambitions.
Also, minister of science, technology and innovation, Kingsley Udeh, said the launch proved agreements and memoranda would not remain mere paperwork.
โThey will find expression in activities and investments in projects worth multi-billion dollars,โ he said.
Mr Udeh pledged the ministryโs support for the hackathon through commercialisation, competition, research and innovation outcomes.
Swedenโs Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm, described Nigeria as a country of talent, creativity and ambition.
She said Nigeriaโs digital sector remained one of the continentโs most dynamic and promising innovation ecosystems.
โNigeriaโs partnership with Ericsson shows how the Swedish private sector supports national priorities through technological leadership and strong local collaboration.
โWe are proud that Swedish technology and values of openness, partnership and trust contribute to Nigeriaโs development ambitions,โ she said.
Special assistant to the president on ICT policy, Salihu Dasuki, said the initiative aligned with Mr Tinubuโs Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the hackathon will go beyond training and create employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
Special Assistant to the president on project support, Suhdah Ahmed, said the launch demonstrated how innovation ecosystems connect knowledge, capital, policy and markets.
โToday is more than the launch of a hackathon; it is the activation of a vision.
โThe collaboration between the Office of the Vice-President and Ericsson marks a shift from policy ambition to practical execution.
โThrough the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon, government and industry are building the skills, systems and opportunities needed for Nigeriaโs digital future,โ she said.
(NAN)

































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