Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, has said that his country is committed to fostering entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria.
The ambassador said the Government of Japan is keenly interested in supporting the start-up ecosystem in Africa’s largest economy.
Kazuyoshi spoke on Friday in Abuja at the closing ceremony/Demo day of Idea Hatch (iHatch) Start-up Incubation Programme Cohort III organised by Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.
He noted that since its inception in 2021, the program has empowered early stage businesses dedicated to addressing societal challenges through innovative technologies and ideas.
“We have 10 standout ventures that will showcase their ingenuity today, and it is a testament to their hard work and the support they have received.
“Japan’s involvement in this initiative through JICA underscores our commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Nigeria.
“Our experts have provided capacity building and training support, ensuring that these startups gain technical knowledge and imbibe Japanese business ethics- punctuality, adherence to rules, and a relentless pursuit of quality improvement,” he said.
The ambassador noted that at the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8), AAIC, a Japanese company, and a Nigerian start-up company that contributes to expanding peoples’ access to quality medicine in the country, signed a MoU for cooperation.
He said the Japanese company utilises Japan’s cutting edge technology to fight counterfeit medicines and ensure access to high quality medication across Africa.
“This example illustrates that while technology is crucial, it is the adherence to these fundamental principles that often determines success,” he said.
“The Government of Japan is keenly interested in supporting the start-up ecosystem in Nigeria.
“This was demonstrated by the Japanese Foreign Minister Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko’s visit on April 30 to Ventures Park, a prominent Nigerian start- up accelerator hub.
“During her visit, she exchanged views with start up entrepreneurs and stated Japanese venture capital firms’ role in strengthening Nigeria’s startup ecosystem through investments in start-up companies.
“The significance of Japan’s support for Nigerian start-ups extends beyond technical expertise. It is about fostering a partnership where knowledge exchange enriches both sides.
“As these startups grow, I envisage stronger collaboration between Nigerian and Japanese companies, leveraging each other’s strengths for mutual prosperity.”
Speaking earlier, the Director-General of NITDA, Inuwa Abdullahi, in his opening address, noted that one of the success stories of the start-up programme is the creation of jobs.
According to him, “Because of the success of cohort 1 and 2, we decided to expand cohort 3 to five locations – Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Gombe. Part of the success story of Cohort 1 and 2 was, we trained 16 startups with 32 participants . But they created a combined job of 179 and over 1000 indirect jobs.”