WorldStage Newsonline– Nigeria’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology on Wednesday inaugurated innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Policy (iSTEP) Programme designed to empower youth-driven innovation and catalyse the country’s economic transformation.
Chief Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, said this at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ministry and Humanity Advancement Innovation Network (HAIN) in Abuja.
He said the signing of MoU marked the inauguration of the iSTEP Programme, which represented a significant milestone in the ministry’s quest to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem across Nigeria.
“This partnership aligns perfectly with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the areas of job creation, economic diversification, and inclusive development.
“The programme’s objectives are both ambitious and impactful,’’ Nnaji said.
The minister said the objectives included training and certification of 10,000 innovators across 200 local government areas over the next two years.
He said 2,500 youth-led innovative enterprises were set to be established to drive economic growth and competitiveness.
Nnaji added that six Innovation Academies and three iSTECH City Hubs were to be developed as centres of excellence in technology and innovation.
He assured that five thousand new jobs would be created, contributing to national efforts to tackle unemployment.
Other objectives of the iSTEP programme aimed at enhancing food security through agricultural and green innovation and promoting inclusive economic development by fostering innovation-driven enterprises.
“This programme underscores our collective commitment to leveraging innovation and technology to address pressing challenges in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, and industrial development,’’ Nnaji said.
Earlier, Daniel Olasetemi, Chairman of the HAIN, commended the iSTEP programme, saying that the benefits were far-reaching
