The Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI) and its partners have reiterated their readiness to create a platform to connect youth and young women innovators in Borno State with government, financial institutions, private investors, and development organisations, to enable them to compete with others across Nigeria.
Speaking during an event for young innovators in Maiduguri, Abubakar Sadiq, the Executive Director of CATAI, noted that the engagement seeks to address financing and institutional gaps confronting young innovators whose initiatives focus on climate resilience, renewable energy, recycling, climate-smart agriculture, and alternative livelihoods.
According to him, the platform was established through a Public-Private Partnership Dialogue on Financing Youth and Young Women-Led Solutions held in Maiduguri under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA II) Project.
He noted that the project is implemented in partnership with ActionAid Denmark and funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), with CATAI working alongside ActionAid Nigeria and CIA Tech Africa.
Sadiq stressed that many young people are developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing their communities. Still, inadequate access to finance, technical expertise, mentorship,p and policy support continues to limit their growth.
