Osinbajo said this on Friday at the inauguration of the innovation support hub of the North Central in Abuja.
Osinbajo was represented by Mr Afolabi Imokwode, the Senior Assistant, National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).
According to him, the government is working at expanding opportunities for youths, especially those who are unemployed.
“Today its really about technology and innovation, Nigeria is a youthful population and with this, part of what we have done is to create platforms that will allow youths engage with their creativity.
“With innovation particularly using technology, we are already aware of the success of the programme, which is a technology induced programme.
“What it does is really to stimulate a lot more ideas. How do you use technology using Nigerian start-ups and technologies to solve problems.”
He said in the north central, government was looking at how to use technology and innovative ideas to solve governance problems and agriculture related problems.
The Vice President added that technology was also being use to resolve problems of security in the north central.
Mr Kola Aina, the Founder, Ventures Platform Hub, partnering with the Federal Government on the programme, said it was an important intervention by the government.
“The programme is to support the start-up ecosystem by expanding the works that hubs are doing around the country, this is done by making direct investments into start-up in terms of funding and capacity building.
Mr Ife Adebayo, the Special Assistant on Innovation to the Vice-President said: “We are here to launch the Federal Government’s support programme for the north central and we are working with ventures platform.”
‘We are supporting private sector organisations that are supporting individuals and supporting enterprises and we have given these private enterprises a free hand to make their decisions and select impactful companies.
According to him, government is looking out for companies that are solving local problems by providing local solutions to local problems.
“ We need companies and ideas that are disruptive in nature, that can make an impact, either social or economic impact in the country, so these are the key things we have to look out for.
“And out of more than 8,000 applications, they have been able to come up with top 30, and the top 30 were asked to pitch with a select team of judges, which produced have the top 10 that we have today.”
NAN reports that Start-up Nigeria is an intervention of the National Investment Programme under the Office of the Vice President to support private sector innovation hubs for strategic increase of entrepreneurial and technological capacity across Nigeria. (NAN)
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