For over a decade, innovation hubs have been the vibrant heart of Nigeria's tech ecosystem. From the pioneering days of the Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) in Yaba to the proliferation of specialised incubators, accelerators, and makerspaces across the country, these hubs have been more than just shared workspaces with fast internet. They have been the engine rooms of ingenuity — the crucibles where ideas are forged, collaborations are born, and a generation of tech talent has been nurtured.
As we stand in 2025, it’s a critical moment to take stock. We must celebrate what our innovation hubs have done right, honestly assess the challenges that remain, and, most importantly, chart a course for what’s next. For Build-a-Tech and its community, understanding this evolution is key to playing a leading role in the next chapter of Nigerian innovation.
What We’re Doing Right: The Pillars of Success
Cultivating a Community
Hubs broke down the isolation many early tech enthusiasts felt, providing spaces where developers, designers, and entrepreneurs could meet, share ideas, and inspire one another. This “collision density” has been the catalyst for countless startups and collaborations.
Nurturing Early-Stage Talent
Through coding bootcamps, maker programs, and mentorship, hubs have bridged Nigeria’s skills gap. Today, national programs like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative are scaling this impact, aiming to train Nigerians in AI, data science, product design, and cloud technologies by 2027.
Attracting Investment and Global Attention
Hubs like CcHUB put Nigeria on the global tech map. Startups with early roots in the Yaba ecosystem — including Andela and Flutterwave — have gone on to raise significant funding, drawing in international investors and validating Nigeria’s startup potential.
Providing Critical Infrastructure
In a country where reliable power and internet aren’t guaranteed, hubs offered consistency. Today, large-scale initiatives like Google’s Equiano subsea cable and nationwide fibre rollout are enhancing connectivity, enabling hubs to deliver even more value to their members.
The Challenges We Face: A Moment of Truth
Sustainability Pressure
Many hubs still struggle with viable revenue models. Over-reliance on grants, donor funding, or coworking fees often limits long-term growth. The 7% drop in VC funding to Nigerian startups in 2024 only intensified this pressure.
Beyond Lagos and Abuja
While Ilorin, Ibadan, Enugu, and Port Harcourt are emerging on the innovation map, much of Nigeria still lacks local access to hubs. If innovation is to be truly national, expansion into underserved states must accelerate.
The Hardware & Deep-Tech Gap
Most hubs remain software-heavy. Supporting hardware founders requires capital-intensive tools, manufacturing expertise, and prototyping space. This is where Build-a-Tech is carving its niche — with 3D printers, CNC machines, electronics workbenches, and fabrication labs designed to turn ideas into real-world products.
From Incubation to True Acceleration
Founders now require advanced support — from market validation and go-to-market strategy to corporate governance and access to later-stage funding. Not all hubs have evolved their offerings to meet this demand.
What’s Next? The Evolution of Nigeria’s Innovation Hub
Rise of the Specialist Hub
The generic, all-purpose hub is giving way to vertical-specific centres:
Hardware & Deep-Tech Hubs — like Build-a-Tech, focusing on product development, prototyping, and manufacturing readiness.
Agri-Tech Hubs — located near farmlands, integrating IoT, drone tech, and precision agriculture.
Health-Tech Hubs — embedded in medical research networks.
Creative-Tech Hubs — fusing art, design, gaming, and animation.
Examples in 2025 include the NASENI Innovation Hub for deep-tech and 1879 Tech Hub for corporate–startup collaboration.
Stronger Corporate & University Partnerships
Hubs will increasingly serve as R&D extensions for established companies and as commercialisation arms for universities — linking academic research to market-ready solutions.
Policy Engagement
With the Nigeria Startup Act and other reforms in play, hubs will act as a collective voice for the ecosystem, ensuring regulations enable rather than restrict innovation.
Hybrid & Distributed Models
Physical hubs remain essential, but more founders will be supported remotely, with mentorship and resources accessible anywhere in the country.
A Call to Action
The first chapter of Nigeria’s innovation hub story was about building a foundation. The next must be about excellence through specialisation.
For Build-a-Tech, that means being the nation’s go-to centre for hardware innovation — where makers, engineers, and entrepreneurs come to design, prototype, and manufacture solutions for real-world problems.
The message is clear: the future is specialised, collaborative, and rooted in solving the pressing challenges of our economy. It’s time to build it.