22nd July, 2011
Omidyar Network and The Indigo Trust announced today their support and intent to jointly fund the creation of a hub in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Hub is a non-profit, social enterprise centered around a shared work space where stakeholders from multiple walks of Nigerian life come together to collaboratively create tech-based solutions that address social challenges facing Nigerian society.
It will be Nigeriaâ€
The Hub will accommodate 50-60 tech start-ups at one time and will provide pre-incubation services including: advice, training, mentorship and access to funding through a network of local and international partners.
The Hub will also serve as a place for stakeholders to meet, brainstorm, share ideas and collaborate through partnership events, meet-ups, focus groups, hackathons, competitions and talks by guest speakers.
The Hub founders, ‘Bosun Tijani and Femi Longe, saw first-hand the impact of focused social innovation efforts through their leadership in the Social Innovation Camp Nigeria and Tech in Governance camp that took place this year in Nigeria. The camps yielded a number of technology initiatives focusing on issues such as government accountability, health information and crime tracking and reporting.
Their goals for The Hub include helping to stimulate the creation of more than two dozen social ventures over the next two years. The Hub will open its doors in August this year.
“The Co-Creation Hub promises to foster the development of technology-driven social enterprises that will address many of Nigeriaâ€
“The Hub will provide the environment, stimulation and connections to capital and expertise necessary to help Nigerian entrepreneurs launch their social missions to improve the lives of millions of Nigerians.â€
The grant represents Omidyar Networkâ€
“We are delighted to support a venture which will create an enabling environment for African-led innovation, contextualised to local needs,†said Francesca Perrin, founder and director of The Indigo Trust.
“The Hub will bring together developers, innovators and business professionals, creating the right conditions to stimulate innovation and generate technology-led solutions that improve governance and support development objectives across Nigeria. Weâ€