Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the nation’s technology and innovation ecosystem. The assurance was delivered at XPLORE 2025, a major tech convergence held over the weekend in Abuja, where government officials joined industry leaders and young innovators to chart a digital future for Africa.Speaking through Usman Yohanna, the minister praised the organisers for sustaining the XPLORE Disruptors initiative, noting that young Africans are increasingly taking the lead in the continent’s digital transformation. He stressed that innovative growth depends on strong collaboration between government, private sector players, academic institutions, and development organisations.According to him, the ministry will continue championing programmes that expand digital literacy, nurture entrepreneurship, facilitate startup incubation, and ensure that every young Nigerian can actively participate in the digital economy.Nigeria Must Participate Fully in the Fourth Industrial Revolution — NASRDA DGDirector-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Matthew Adepoju, aligned the event’s objectives with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He warned that Africa missed out on previous industrial revolutions and must not allow history to repeat itself in the age of artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies.Adepoju encouraged Nigerian youths to embrace emerging fields such as robotics, AI, and space technology, revealing that NASRDA has launched new departments dedicated to artificial intelligence, space robotics, and space enterprise solutions. These units, he said, are designed to help young innovators turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world products.ACCI Calls Innovation the Engine of Africa’s Next Growth PhaseRepresenting the Director-General of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Ms. Maimunat Lawal commended the XPLORE platform for enabling innovators, investors, SMEs, policymakers, and young talents to collaborate on shaping Africa’s digital future.She highlighted the work of ACCI’s four centres — the Dispute Resolution Centre, Policy Advocacy Centre, Abuja Trade Centre, and BEST Centre — noting that their combined efforts support capacity building, trade facilitation, policy reforms, and investment promotion for startups and small businesses.Lawal added that ACCI strongly believes Africa’s next phase of economic growth will be powered by technology adoption, innovation, and empowered young people.Leadership as a Catalyst for InnovationLeadership development expert, Dr. Linus Okorie, challenged participants to build strong personal leadership capacity to remain competitive globally. He reminded young innovators that the world is evolving rapidly, and Nigerian talents are now competing on a global stage. “Meaningful innovation cannot happen without transformational leadership,” he said.XPLORE Disruptors Celebrates African InnovationConvener of XPLORE Disruptors, Engr. Light Ihesiulo, expressed gratitude to partners and participants for supporting what organisers describe as Africa’s largest tech gathering. He said the initiative was born out of a desire to help young Africans gain stability and confidence in building globally competitive businesses.This year’s edition of XPLORE is dedicated to celebrating visionaries and trailblazers who are pushing the limits of technology and reshaping industries across the continent.
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