Technology entrepreneurs have been charged to look beyond developing impressive products and focus instead on solving problems that affect the daily lives of Nigerians.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Builders Festival on the sidelines of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition (DNICE), Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, stressed that the country’s numerous challenges should be viewed as unmet needs and opportunities for innovation rather than obstacles to progress.
Builders Festival is a platform designed to connect Nigerian startups with investors, potential customers and organisations seeking technology-driven solutions to pressing business and societal challenges.
Abdullahi pointed out that everyday health challenges present opportunities for health technology entrepreneurs to develop practical solutions that could improve access to healthcare across the country.
He highlighted agriculture as another sector with significant room for technological innovation, pointing to the difficulties farmers face in dealing with unpredictable weather, poor soil information and limited access to markets.
According to him, digital solutions that provide farmers with timely weather forecasts, soil information, guidance on planting and fertiliser application, as well as market connections, could improve productivity and household incomes.
Abdullahi said the Builders Festival was established to address a critical gap between people who understand the problems and those with the technical capacity to solve them and noted that the event goes beyond celebrating startups.
He explained that its central purpose is to bring together problem owners, technology builders, corporate organisations, potential customers and investors to create partnerships that can turn ideas into viable businesses.
“The goal is not to be in love with your technology but to be in love with the problem you are solving. It’s about how your solutions can help millions of Nigerians improve their productivity and national prosperity,’’ adding that technology development alone does not guarantee commercial success.
Abdullahi revealed that NITDA’s research indicated that 80 per cent of Nigerian adults wanted access to telemedicine, but only 19 per cent had ever used the service, adding that more than 40 per cent of Nigeria’s population were farmers, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for the overwhelming majority of businesses in the country, continue to face difficulties accessing bank credit.
He challenged startups to develop digital solutions that could improve agricultural productivity and help SMEs maintain proper financial records, demonstrate business performance and build the transparency banks need to extend credit.
The NITDA boss further emphasised that access to technology must translate into actual adoption and measurable improvements in productivity, arguing that having a mobile phone or access to digital services means little if people cannot use them to save time, reduce costs, improve their businesses and increase their incomes.
He urged founders to build solutions that can deliver significant productivity gains, create wealth and contribute to national prosperity, while developing products with the potential to compete in international markets.
Abdullahi disclosed that more than 1,388 startups applied to participate in the Builders Festival, but only about 30 were selected. He congratulated the successful participants and urged them to measure their success by the number of lives and businesses their innovations can improve.
He added that the country needs platforms that bring problem owners and problem solvers together, supported by the right institutional environment, to accelerate technology adoption, expand opportunities and strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Builders Festival is the product of a strategic partnership between NITDA and Tech Revolution Africa to create a platform where Nigerian innovators can move beyond developing technology for its own sake and focus on creating practical solutions to the country’s pressing challenges.
Through the partnership, both organisations aim to strengthen connections between startups, investors, corporate organisations and institutions with real problems that require technology-driven solutions.
The Builders Festival will encourage collaboration, attract investment, promote the adoption of homegrown solutions and support the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
