Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed on X, Tuesday night that the Federal Government has launched a portal for the Startup Support and Engagement Portal.
According to him, the portal, which is a key requirement of the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act, is meant to drive the identification and aggregation of startups in the country.
He tweeted, “We are pleased to announce the launch of the Startup Support and Engagement Portal, https://startup.gov.ng/, a key requirement for the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act. The startup portal will drive the identification and aggregation of Nigerian startups, venture capital companies, hubs, and innovation centres to facilitate engagement and support for ecosystem players.”
He highlighted that the launch of the portal will allow the government to initiate the process of setting up startup consultative forums to select representatives to the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, to facilitate discourse and consensus among ecosystem players.
Tijani further said, “We invite all Nigerian startup venture capital companies, hubs, and innovation centres to register at the portal https://startup.gov.ng/ and look forward to working with all industry stakeholders to ensure that we fully implement the Startup Act for the benefit of our innovation ecosystem. Cc: NITDA Nigeria.”
This development is coming a year after the Startup Act was signed into law by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Tweeting in support, the former Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari (Digital Transformation) and lead, Nigeria Start Up Bill, Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, said, “The work is ahead. This announcement by the government is an indication that collaboration is key to sustainable policy development. Beneficiaries must remain engaged.”
Below is the registration process for startups:
- Visit http://startup.gov.ng
- Scroll down the page to reveal the options for Startups, Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists or Accelerators, Innovation Hubs & Incubators.
- Select Startups
Criteria to enroll:
- Be a limited liability company registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
- Be a company existing for less than 10 years from the date of incorporation.
- Have objects that are focused on innovation, development, production, improvement, and commercialization of a digital technology innovative product or process.
- Be a holder or repository of a product or process of digital technology or the owner or author of a registered software.
- Have at least one-third of local shareholding held by one or more Nigerians as founder or co-founder of the startup.
- Satisfy the conditions set out in the Act, in the case of a sole proprietorship or partnership.
- Be a tech-enabled business that uses existing tools, platforms, libraries, and frameworks to make a company or a solution more efficient or effective.
4. Enter the following details:
- RC Number (Unique CAC identification number)
- Company Name
- Year of Incorporation
- Industry (type)
- Media
- Start Up description
- Company Email
- Company Address
- Company website
- Founder’s Full Name
- First Name + Last Name
- Founder’s Email Address
- Founder’s Phone Number
- Founder’s means of Identification (BVN or NIN)
5. Then Submit