By BONIFACE AKARAH

Nigerian startups are being opened to a potential N3 billion investment and contract pipeline through the Builders Festival, an initiative launched as part of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

The initiative, unveiled by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, is designed to connect pre-qualified Nigerian startups with more than 100 verified operational challenges submitted by government agencies, corporate organisations and financial institutions.

Inuwa said the three-day festival was moving beyond discussions about innovation by creating direct opportunities for startups to secure clients, pilot projects, investment and contracts.

Through its Deal Room, startups and potential clients were given opportunities to negotiate pilot projects, sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and pursue investment and contract deals.

The NITDA boss said the initiative was aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and ongoing economic reforms aimed at creating a business environment capable of attracting investment and strengthening private-sector participation.

He said the festival was also addressing one of the biggest challenges confronting Nigerian startups: access to customers.

“With Nigerian startups raising $635 million in the first nine months of 2026, the ?3 billion pipeline further strengthens the country's position as a leading destination for startup investment in Africa,” Inuwa said.

According to him, connecting innovators directly with organisations that have identified business and operational problems would increase the adoption of locally developed solutions and create opportunities for Nigerian startups to scale.

He said the approach would also support job creation, talent retention and the wider growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.

The Builders Festival is expected to provide a pathway for government institutions and private organisations to adopt homegrown technologies while giving startups access to markets and commercial opportunities beyond simply exhibiting their products.

The initiative positions the Digital Nigeria International Conference as a platform for converting innovation into commercial opportunities, with Nigerian startups placed at the centre of efforts to solve real operational challenges across the economy.

• PHOTO: NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE delivering his address at launch of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja