The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has kicked off a tech startup competition in Enugu, aimed at discovering and supporting the most promising young innovators from Nigeria’s Southeast region.
The event is part of a regional roadshow leading up to the GITEX Nigeria 2025 Startup Festival, which will be held in Abuja from 1st September to 4th September.
Tech entrepreneurs from the five Southeast states Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo gathered to pitch their innovative ideas and solutions. The goal is to find talented startups that can represent the region on a national and possibly global level.
At the event, Dr. Lawrence Ezeh, Enugu State’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science, and Technology, said the competition is a great opportunity for young people to shine.
“This is not just a competition, it’s a chance for our youth to reach national and even international stages like GITEX Global in Dubai,” Dr. Ezeh said.
Also speaking was Dr. Nkem Momah, Head of NITDA’s Southeast Zonal Office. He explained that the competition is open to startups working in areas like healthcare technology (Health Tech), agriculture (AgriTech), finance (FinTech), artificial intelligence (AI), education (EdTech), climate change (Climate Tech), and creative industries (Creative Tech).
“We’re looking for bold and creative minds whose ideas can help shape the future of Nigeria’s digital economy,” Dr. Momah said.
Startups that win at the regional level will get a free spot at the Abuja Startup Festival, where they’ll showcase their projects to a panel of investors, tech experts, government officials, and the media. The best of them could also be selected to represent Nigeria at GITEX Global in Dubai, one of the biggest tech expos in the world.
GITEX Nigeria is inspired by the long running GITEX Global event in Dubai, which has been a global center for innovation since 1981.
This competition gives young innovators from the Southeast a real chance to gain recognition, funding, and support to grow their ideas and build successful tech startups.
