By Francis Akinnodi

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Ondo State Government has reiterated its readiness towards adopting and domesticating the Federal Government’s Startup Act 2022.

Chairman, Ondo State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Olumbe Akinkugbe disclosed this at an ecosystem engagement on the adoption of the Nigeria Startup Act recently in Akure.

He said the Act would generate employment opportunities and jobs for Nigerians, especially youths in the state and urged the youths to key into the scheme.

According to him, the Act would contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for growth, attraction and protection of investments in tech startups across the 18 Local government areas of the state.

Akinkugbe said, “There is no doubt that it is going to impact positively well on the communities and the state in general.

“We have already taken certain initiative towards encouraging entrepreneurs within the state.

“We hope that the state House of Assembly would be able to give it positive feedback as to timeline after this engagement. Besides, it would also help people to set up a business in the state.”

Recall that the Nigerian Startup Act, also known as the Nigerian Innovation and Entrepreneurship Act, was recently passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on the October 19, 2022.

The law aims to support and promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria, particularly addressing youth unemployment.

Also speaking on the essence of the ecosystem engagement, State Adoption Lead of the Nigeria Startup Act, Okoro Isaac said, “This would create enabling environment for tech companies to thrive because we understand that the entrepreneurs are the one that would provide economy prosperity for the nation.

“The Ondo State ecosystem engagement is the one among the series of our state engagement that we have been doing since we started our ecosystem engagement and the idea behind it is that the state adoption secretariat understand that we run a federal system of government and since the October 2022 when the President signed the Act, the implementation and process have started but until state adopt the startup act, they would not be able to fully enjoy the benefit of technology that has been coming into the country.

“So, we are here to speak about the Act, and make an argument why the state should work with us, that at the end of the day tech companies in Ondo state are able to support and find solution to the economic prosperity in Ondo state.

“It is an Act that at the end of the day we want it to be passed into law, which we believe that tech companies in Ondo state would now have the backing to access funding, digital training for them to be able to compete with their mates all over the country.”