In a bold move to fast-track youth empowerment and drive tech-based economic growth, the Imo State Government has unveiled a major partnership with a United States-based innovation centre to train and mentor a new generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs.
By Chimezie Godfrey
In a bold move to fast-track youth empowerment and drive tech-based economic growth, the Imo State Government has unveiled a major partnership with a United States-based innovation centre to train and mentor a new generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs.
The programme, tagged Imo Founder Dojo, is being launched in collaboration with the United States Market Access Center (USMAC) in Silicon Valley and Imo Digital City Limited (IDCL), the trustees of the Imo Talent Hub project.
The initiative aims to discover and develop young Nigerian innovators and connect them with global startup ecosystems, particularly in Silicon Valley, USA.
Briefing Journalists in Abuja on Thursday, on the partnership, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of USMAC, Mr Christopher Burry, described the project as a “world-class founder development programme” that will deliver deep coaching, expert training, and one-on-one mentorship for selected participants.
“This is the first time that the senior leadership of the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, will be physically present in Nigeria to directly support a programme of this nature,” Burry stated.
He stressed that the programme is a direct extension of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Skill-Up Imo initiative, which has been credited with steering thousands of youths away from restiveness, cultism, and internet fraud by offering digital skills and workforce placement opportunities.
According to him, the Imo Founder Dojo will be delivered in four competitive phases:
”A 3-day bootcamp to select 100 high-potential founders;
”A 2-month product ideation and validation stage;
”A 4-month customer-focused development programme; and
”A final 6-month acceleration phase to scale and explore international markets”.
Burry noted that only the most committed and visionary participants will graduate through all stages, adding that successful applicants will receive mentorship from experienced Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and gain access to international partners and investors.
“The bottom-line goal is to empower over 300,000 startup founders and SMEs in Imo State over the next five years,” he said.
The programme supports Nigeria’s broader digital economy vision and will help position Imo State as a competitive hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.