Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced the appointment of four startup ecosystem representatives to the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NCDIE) — a key step toward implementing the 2022 Nigeria Startup Act, which aims to bridge policy and innovation in the country’s growing tech sector.
Through its Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), NITDA confirmed that Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Victoria Manya, Charles Uchenna Emembolu, and Abba Ibrahim Gamawa were elected via the Startup Consultative Forum (SCF) to serve two-year terms on the Council.
According to NITDA, the four will represent the interests of Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, make policy inputs, and ensure founders and innovators directly contribute to the Act’s objectives. Their work, the agency noted, will help “shape Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, promote inclusivity, and ensure innovation yields tangible economic and social impacts across the country.”
The appointments mark a major milestone in operationalising one of the Act’s central goals — giving startups a formal voice in policymaking. The Council will guide the rollout of startup labelling, investment incentives, capacity-building programmes, and regulatory reforms envisioned by the Act.
Each representative brings a distinct background in entrepreneurship, policy, and innovation. Aboyeji is the Founding Partner at Future Africa; Manya serves as Co-founder and Executive Director at Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API); Emembolu is the Founder of TechQuest STEM Academy and Roar Nigeria Hub, as well as Chair of the Innovation Support Network; while Gamawa is the Founder of Go Agent Limited, a digital logistics company connecting clearing agents, transporters, and importers.
Signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2022, the Nigeria Startup Act established a legal framework to support tech-enabled startups and position Nigeria as a leading innovation hub in Africa. It created the NCDIE as the coordinating body for implementation, chaired by the President, with the Vice President as Vice Chairman. Other members include the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Director-General of NITDA, among others.
While this development strengthens the Act’s governance framework, analysts note that effective impact will depend on execution. Many of the Act’s incentives — including startup labelling, tax reliefs, and access to funding — rely on structures that are still being built. Inter-agency coordination and capacity will be crucial in ensuring that the policy delivers on its promise of empowering Nigeria’s innovation economy.
