Yaba commonly regarded as the heartbeat of the mainland is a suburb located on the mainland area of Lagos state The proposed Yaba Technology Park project named KITE, representing the Knowledge, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship center is an initiative of the Lagos State Government to develop a technology hub in the Yaba area and create a home for startups, tech investors, and innovators within and outside the state.
Meanwhile, the success of the proposed project is set to provide an enabling environment that will facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in Information Communication Technology in the state especially in the Yaba neighborhood.
Chike Onwuegbuchi, Chairman of Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), while speaking about the project noted that if the project is established, it is going to support entrepreneurship, create employment for youths in the area and other parts of the state, while bringing development in the Yaba Axis.
“It is going to help the youth to be gainfully employed and have a carrier in ICT and the hindrance of trying to look for accommodation while at work will be taken care of by the park itself because it is built by either the Government or NGO, so you don’t need to look out for where to stay and there is also an idea of interdependence because there will be no need of going out to look for a company that is into hardware or software and a company doing coding in another area because it is already provided in the Park.”
“It will open more doors for collaboration in building entrepreneurship in Yaba which helps in delivering end products. It is going to solve youth unemployment through entrepreneurship,” Chike said.
He explained that the Park is going to bring about development not only through entrepreneurship but engaged companies who are going to work for them thereby bringing development to the community. “The park will also attract multinational interest and other private individuals within and outside the country will come to situate and locate a business because of the existence of the park in Yaba and to benefit from ICT facilities to foster the growth of their establishment,” Chike added.
Speaking on the hitches that may be encountered on the project, Chike noted that the major challenges that will be encountered in building the technology Park is the Government having the political will-power in executing the project. According to him, Political continuity is a major challenge that might be encountered in establishing the project if eventually the incumbent Government is not re-elected to power in the coming election.
“This project is an initiative of the present Government, the possibility of any incoming administration considering the fact that there is going to be an election in 2023, if eventually, the present Government did not get back to power, sustaining the same vision will be another hindrance. If they did not sustain the same vision, there is a possibility that the project may be stopped or abandoned.
Ozioma Ubabukoh, a tech, and public sector consultant explained that with plenty of business hatchlings growing bigger in the Yaba area of Lagos State every year via incubators, it’s clear that the Yaba Technology Park will be more than just a commercial neighborhood.
Read more at: https://businessday.ng/technology/article/how-proposed-yaba-technology-park-will-benefit-communities-in-lagos/
