GrowthX: Lagos Innovates Targets More Tech Jobs after Supporting 1,200+ Startups

Lagos Innovates, an initiative of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) said it has supported more than 1,200 startups and trained over 3,000 technology talents as part of efforts to boost job creation and strengthen the state’s technology ecosystem.

Olanike Aladeojebi, head of startups at Lagos Innovates, disclosed this during a session titled: “Building Businesses, Creating Jobs & Driving Startup Growth” at the maiden GrowthX by Techeconomy, held in Lagos, recently.

Aladeojebi said the initiative was established to lower the cost of entering the technology ecosystem while providing early-stage startups and young talents with the support required to develop sustainable businesses.

According to her, Lagos Innovates focuses on building the capacity of technology talents, identifying early-stage startups and supporting them through the difficult stages of turning ideas into viable businesses.

In her words, the intervention was necessary because a sustainable technology ecosystem requires a continuous pipeline of talent, ideas and businesses.

She added that Lagos Innovates catches startups at the early stages of development, including the idea and prototype stages, when many founders may lack access to infrastructure, mentorship and other resources needed to turn their concepts into businesses.

Since its establishment in 2018, she said, more than 1,200 startups have received support from Lagos Innovates.

The support includes access to infrastructure through workspace vouchers, allowing startups to work from professional innovation hubs while connecting with other businesses within the ecosystem.

Beyond infrastructure, Lagos Innovates also operates an incubation programme designed to help founders validate their ideas, develop business structures, understand their markets and gain access to potential investors.

Aladeojebi said the programme currently has a call for applications open for startups seeking mentorship, structured training and access to experienced facilitators.

On talent development, she said Lagos Innovates has trained more than 3,000 people over the years and is targeting another 1,200 talents in Lagos through a new training programme covering seven high-demand technology skills.

One of the programmes highlighted during the session was the EkoAI Academy, by LSETF/Lagos Innovates, in partnership with InnoPower Africa, aimed at reaching 10,000 young people in Lagos with practical AI skills. The programme uses a train-the-trainer model, beginning with 100 master trainers who will cascade the training to other participants.

Victor Ikenna, Talent & Client Success Manager at InnoPower Africa, said the programme was designed to demonstrate how government and private-sector organisations can combine their respective strengths to expand access to emerging technology skills.

Ikenna said the partnership would enable InnoPower Africa to contribute its AI expertise and facilitators, while the government provides access to the large pool of young people who can benefit from the training.

He explained that participants would receive access to an online learning platform containing different modules and courses, alongside live sessions held twice weekly.

According to him, the programme also seeks to move beyond basic AI literacy by helping participants integrate AI into existing professional skills, including graphic design, video editing and marketing.

L-r: Oluwamayowa Adeogun, co-founder, IJM; Victor Williams Ikenna, Talent and Client Success manager at InnoPower Africa; Peter Oluka, founder, Techeconomy; Mathieu Michel, Head, Employability Unit at Lagos Innovates; Olanike Aladeojebi, head of startups at Lagos Innovates, and Jerry Nwobodo, Founder of Presibo, at GrowthX by Techeconomy.

He said the broader objective is to equip young people with skills that can improve their productivity, career prospects and access to global opportunities.

The session also featured experiences from entrepreneurs who have benefited from government-backed interventions, reinforcing the importance of partnerships between government, private-sector organisations and startups in building Lagos' technology ecosystem.