Acting Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mr Emeka Offor has said that the Commission was seeking and exploring all viable options to attract, grow and position the country to investors as an investment destination of choice.
A statement from the Commission revealed that the NIPC boss said this recently when he led a team of the Commission’s staff on a courtesy visit to the Embassy of the State of Israel in Abuja.
TheFact Nigeria learned that the visit came on the heels of the upcoming Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Investors and Researchers (i-FAIR) 2021/22.
The event is scheduled to hold on December 7 2021 at the Skill “G” Innovation Center, Abuja.
Mr Offor said: “Nigeria has the most startups in Africa and is a dominant force in the tech space however falls short on critical elements that help startups to thrive beyond its founding.”
“These critical elements such as digital infrastructure and lack of investment requires investors’ engagements and start-up support which the Government of Israel through the i-FAIR initiative is bridging.
“It is our hope that the spread gets wider and we will create awareness about the facility with development partners and the public.”
i-FAIR initiative was created by a partnership between the Embassy of Israel’s Skill ‘G’ Innovative Center and the Nigerian Government.
The initiative targets five focus areas – Agriculture & Food Security, Food Technology, Renewable Energy/Environmental Management, Medical Devices simulations and Social Responsibility/Solutions for personal responsibilities.
The first phase of the programme has been concluded while the second is currently ongoing.
Speaking earlier, the host, Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul of the State of Israel in Nigeria, H.E Yotam Kreiman, expressed his appreciation for the support Israel has received especially from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“The Vice President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osinbajo has been fantastic, so also the critical stakeholder Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government,” he said.
The i-FAIR was created to provide a platform for Nigerian innovators to unleash and channel their creativity into smart solutions, products and prototypes.
Mr Kreiman informed that the upcoming programme would feature 50 start-ups rigorously scrutinized and selected and upon completion would be exposed to ready-to-invest investors and mentors that will help in ensuring their growth and sustainability.
“The project will cost $300,000,” he said.
The envoy also said that the Skill “G” Innovation Center Abuja was one of the best in the world and boasts of the latest tech-savvy equipment manned by the best brains from Israel and Nigeria with proven records in academia and science.
He said that the sponsorship of candidates in the centre was open to all developmental organizations and individuals who intended to use the facility.
“We are indeed very proud of this centre the only one affiliated to an Israeli Mission anywhere in the world”, he said.
