Vice President Kashim Shettima. | Credit: State House.
The Federal Government has onboarded 185 founders into the inaugural cohort of the iDICE Startup Bridge Founders Lab after a competitive selection process that attracted more than 7,000 applications nationwide.
The onboarding marks a major milestone in the implementation of the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises programme, a $617m initiative launched in 2023 to promote innovation, youth entrepreneurship and economic diversification.
The programme is co-financed by the African Development Bank, the Agence Française de Développement, and the Islamic Development Bank, while the Bank of Industry serves as the executing agency and one of the financiers.
The selected founders emerged after a multi-stage review process that narrowed over 7,000 completed applications to 500 shortlisted candidates before 185 entrepreneurs were chosen based on innovation potential, market relevance and execution capacity.
