Shettima: Connect NextGen Hackathon ‘ll Transform Nigeria To A Global Supplier Of AI, 5G Solutions

* Launches Nigeria-Ericsson skill acquisition programme to empower youth, scale up digital, tech job creation

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon will transform Nigeria to a global supplier of digital solutions while creating jobs in the technology sector.

He specifically noted that the four-month programme, which is one of the key operationalization phases of the Ericsson and the Nigerian Government’s MoU to collaborate on digitally upskilling Nigerian youths, policymakers and public sector decision makers in modern technologies, will build on Nigeria’s rise as Africa’s top hub for unicorns and global tech talent.

Speaking on Wednesday while launching the initiative at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, the vice-president, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s job creation agenda by harnessing the country’s youth population for the digital economy.

According to him, “President Bola Tinubu has placed job creation at the very top of his priorities. So, this hackathon is not an isolated event; it is a continuation of a national strategy.

“The Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon is designed to deepen this reality, to make Nigeria a supplier of solutions to the world. A brilliant line of code written in Abuja can power a system in Stockholm; a solution imagined in Kano can transform a farm in Kenya.”

Shettima explained that the hackathon will empower young talents, startups and university students to build transformative solutions using 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT, and sustainable technologies.

“The current wave of the Industrial Revolution—powered by 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT and sustainable technologies—is not a tide we can afford to watch from the shore. History is unkind to nations that choose the backseat in moments of transformation,” he said.

The vice-president observed that Nigeria’s greatest asset lies in its human capital rather than natural resources, noting that the country’s demographic dividend tilts decisively in favour of youth.

On Ericsson’s role in the initiative, Shettima said the partnership has reinforced the tech giant’s “position as a strategic enabler of Nigeria’s digital transformation goals, providing real-world applications of 5G, IoT platforms, edge computing and AI in networks”.

He noted that Ericsson’s commitment to sustainability, energy-efficient networks, and technology for good aligns with Nigeria’s national ambitions.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, explained that the launch is an expression that those agreements, MoUs and expressions of interest wouldn’t remain in the books but would find expression in activities and investment in projects running to multi-billion dollars.

He pledged the support of the ministry to hackathon in various ways including commercialisation, competition, research and invention outcomes.

In her remarks, Ambassador of Sweden to Nigrris, Anna Westerholm, described Nigeria as a country of talent, creativity and ambition, noting that Nigeria’s digital sector is one of the most dynamic and promising innovation ecosystems on the African continent.

She explained that the launch is a powerful illustration of what public-private collaboration can achieve, even as she noted that: “Through the Hackathon and the Educate Programme, Ericsson, a private company proudly rooted in Sweden, is partnering with Nigerian institutions to equip young people, students and civil servants with the skills needed to navigate and lead in the fast-changing global economy.

”Nigeria’s partnership with Ericsson demonstrates how the Swedish private sector contributes to national development priorities by combining technological leadership with long-term commitment and strong local collaboration. We are proud that the Swedish technology and Swedish values of openness and partnership and trust contribute to Nigeria’s development ambitions.”

On his part, the Country Manager of Ericsson Nigeria, Mr Olusoji Ogundele, said the initiatives represent a concrete step in delivering on the MoU signed in 2024 between Ericsson and the Federal Government to boost innovation, skills development and the digital economy.

According to him, Ericsson’s over 40 years of operations in Nigeria and nearly 150 years globally have helped build trusted networks from fixed telephony and GSM to broadband, 5G, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

He explained that the AXN National Hackathon is designed to unlock the creativity of Nigerian youths by equipping them with world-class tools to solve real national challenges in areas such as food security, smart cities and digital inclusion.

On the AXN Educate Programme for Policymakers, Ogundele said it is tailored to enhance the digital competence of government officials, enabling evidence-based policymaking and stronger governance in the digital economy.

The Ericsson Nigeria boss reaffirmed the company’s commitment to partnering with the President Bola Tinubu administration to advance its digital transformation agenda, empower youths and policymakers, and build a digital economy that leaves no one behind.

Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the President on ICT Policy, Dr. Salihu Ibrahim Dasuki, said Nigeria and Sweden had been partners, and have sustained that private sector for quite some time.

He said the launch is also in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, as it will not only be training but would offer employment to the youth.

On her part, the Special Assistant to the President on Project Support, Suhdah Ahmed, said the launch shows how innovation ecosystems are built by connecting knowledge, capital, policy and market.