Nigeria's technology landscape may be witnessing a shift beyond its traditional centres, as Kwara State positioned itself as an emerging innovation destination with the successful hosting of the maiden Ilorin Innovation Hub (IIH) Demo Day. The event, tagged 'Convergence', brought together investors, government officials, corporate executives and players in the startup ecosystem, with 19 promising startups unveiled to local and international backers.
Held to mark the first anniversary of the Ilorin Innovation Hub, the showcase underscored growing efforts to decentralise innovation opportunities from Lagos and other established cities, while creating fresh pathways for young entrepreneurs in the North Central region. Nine startups pitched business ideas spanning energy access, waste management, business efficiency and digital services, reflecting the increasing role of technology in addressing practical societal challenges.
A Hub Designed for Innovation
The innovation centre, a partnership between the Kwara State Government and IHS Nigeria, sits on more than 13,000 square metres with capacity for over 1,000 users. It has been described as one of the largest technology spaces in West Africa. Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented by the Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Damilola Yusuf Adelodun, said the hub was designed to create a fertile environment for innovators and equip youths with opportunities to compete globally.
He said the state's ambition is to make Kwara a recognised technology destination where startups can scale ideas into businesses with national and international relevance. "We are creating a space where innovation can thrive and where our youth can develop beyond what they currently see. Our goal is to make Kwara a hub for technology where startups can grow, ideas can mature, and young people can build solutions that impact not just the state, but the country and beyond."
Infrastructure as the Foundation
Speaking at the event, Chief Commercial Officer of IHS Nigeria, Akeem Adeshina, who represented the Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Otunla, said innovation depends heavily on sustainable infrastructure. According to him, the company's involvement extends beyond telecommunications towers to building the digital backbone needed for startups and businesses to thrive. "At IHS, we understand that innovation requires sustainable infrastructure. That is the foundation we must all deliver," he said, adding, "Our mission goes beyond building towers; we are enabling connectivity and building the digital future."
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of IHS Nigeria, Kazeem Oladepo, said the collaboration with the state had helped nurture talent over the last year and attracted investor attention from both local and foreign markets. He noted that the startups presented products capable of solving everyday problems and competing with businesses emerging from top accelerators nationwide. "Today we're showcasing the work that they've done in the past few months, and we're also looking at our journey so far with the state government in the aspiration to deepen talent, to create innovative businesses, to transform our communities and to change lives generally across communities where we operate. The investors we had today were just a small cluster of the interests that we have seen across both the local and international landscape. The startups we are showcasing have the ideas, concepts, and products that solve everyday problems, which you would see in almost all the accelerators or the incubators."
Startups Solving Real Problems
Some of the featured ventures included Gauge and Flowsoft, which focused on business operations efficiency, while GoChargeAm showcased plans to develop a large-scale last-mile energy distribution network across Africa. Vice President, Group Audit and Risk at IHS Towers, Temitope Yusuf, said many startups fail not because of weak ideas, but due to poor coordination between funding, mentorship and market access. She said the Ilorin programme was designed to bridge those gaps by offering founders continuous support through incubation and acceleration phases.
"In the past, we saw founders struggle with disconnected systems—some had funding but no mentorship, others had mentorship but no access to capital," she explained, adding, "What we are building is a coordinated support structure that provides continuous guidance, not just a one-off incubation or acceleration programme." She added, "This programme is like a one-year review since the launch. Looking at all of the people who are going to do the acceleration programme and just wanted to pitch as they move through the next step. They have been through months of incubation, acceleration and it is for them to then showcase what products they are looking to impact the community and the larger business community. We have nine startups that went through the acceleration programme. They would seek funds and then scale their business, scale their products and impact the larger society. The products that were pitched today are solving real-life problems. There were products pitched around energy, there were products pitched around waste and sustainability, among others."
Looking Ahead
Managing Director of the Ilorin Innovation Hub, Temi Kolawole, described the Demo Day as both a celebration of progress and the beginning of bigger opportunities for participating startups. Director of Programmes at the hub, Zumah Yahaya, disclosed that 23 startups have received support since launch, while nine completed an intensive acceleration programme. The event signals a broader trend in Nigeria's digital economy, where smaller cities are increasingly attracting investment and talent, potentially reshaping the country's innovation map.
