By Prince Osuagwu

Nigeria and the United Kingdom have partnered to strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem through the launch of the Nigeria Innovation Cluster Exchange, NICE, a national initiative designed to connect innovation hubs, research institutions and entrepreneurship support organisations, ESOs, across the country.

The initiative, funded by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub under the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme and implemented by The Nest Innovation Technology Park, aims to address fragmentation within Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and coordinated support for startups.

Speaking at the launch, Co-founder of The Nest Innovation Technology Park, Oluwajoba Oloba, said the programme would transform isolated innovation efforts into a unified ecosystem capable of driving economic growth.

“Today, we are moving from celebrating isolated pockets of brilliance to engineering a collective national engine for growth. NICE provides the architecture to unify our entrepreneurship support organisations and startups, allowing them to function like a coordinated army of ants. We are not just launching a programme; we are activating the connective tissue Nigeria’s economy has long demanded,” Oloba said.

According to the organisers, the initiative was developed from insights gained during the 2025 UK Digital Trade and Innovation Tour coordinated by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub in collaboration with the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, ONDI, with the objective of adapting global best practices to Nigeria’s innovation landscape.

They noted that although Nigeria has witnessed rapid growth in sectors such as fintech, agritech, cybersecurity and health technology, the country’s innovation ecosystem remains largely fragmented, with many entrepreneurship support organisations, research centres and innovation hubs operating independently.

The organisers said the lack of coordination has resulted in duplication of efforts and weakened support systems for startups, contributing to low survival rates among young businesses.

As part of the pilot phase, NICE will identify and formalise innovation clusters across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, creating a national database that will serve investors, policymakers and development partners.

The initiative will also facilitate structured knowledge exchange between Nigerian innovation clusters and their counterparts in the United Kingdom through expert residency programmes, while supporting collaborative innovation sprints to develop solutions for local challenges.

In addition, the programme will establish a local stewardship model to ensure innovation clusters remain self-governing and sustainable beyond the pilot phase.

The organisers said NICE will focus on strategic sectors including agritech, cybersecurity and health technology, with the aim of accelerating innovation, supporting economic diversification and improving access to expertise regardless of location.

They added that the initiative is expected to strengthen collaboration among incubators, accelerators, research institutions and startups, creating a more resilient innovation ecosystem capable of supporting long-term entrepreneurial growth.

The pilot phase of the Nigeria Innovation Cluster Exchange commenced on July 6, 2026, with entrepreneurship support organisations, research institutions and industry stakeholders invited to participate.