Facebook on Wednesday unveiled NG_Hub in Lagos, Nigeria – its first flagship community hub space in Africa. The project, which was done in partnership with CcHub, comes as part of Facebook’s commitment to train and empower 50,000 people and to support startups in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
The initiative will bring together developers, start-ups and the wider tech community across Lagos and Nigeria, and the launch will showcase the new multi-faceted space which aims to bring together communities to collaborate, learn, and exchange ideas.
Facebook also announced partnerships with seven other hubs across the country including Ventures Platform in Abuja, nHub, in Jos, Colab Hub in Kaduna, DI Hub in Kano, Start Innovation Hub in Uyo, Roar Hub in Enugu and Ken Saro Wiwa Hub in Port Harcourt.
These will serve as centres of excellence and will feature dedicated Facebook spaces, where many of Facebook’s training sessions will take place, and a space where creatives and developers can book to help them advance their skills.
Commenting on the partnership, Bosun Tijani, Founder/CEO of CcHub, added: “Our aim has always been to provide a viable platform for creatives and innovators to express their talent and create solutions to the myriad of social and economic challenges faced by countries across the continent. Partnering with Facebook on NG_Hub enables us to achieve our objectives at scale and make the desired impact in the tech ecosystem here in Lagos.”
“The NG_Hub highlights our ongoing commitment to supporting local talent in Nigeria. We’re delighted to be partnering with CcHub here in Lagos, as well as with many other hubs across Nigeria to deepen our engagement, increase skills development and support the next set of innovators, tech entrepreneurs, start-ups, and others in our collective bid to change the face of technology and grow the economy,” said Ebele Okobi, Director of Public Policy, Africa.
Speaking further, Ime Archibong, Facebook’s Vice President of Partnerships said: “Technology provides expansive opportunities to engage young, creative and resourceful Nigerians, especially in delivering solutions to challenges across communities here in Nigeria. Our mission is to build community and bring the world closer together, NG_Hub provides that physical space that will serve as a centre of learning and skills development in Lagos, and I’m excited about the possibilities that this will create.”
Training programmes include: The FB Start Accelerator programme, Digify Pro Nigeria, Boost Your Business, #SheMeansBusiness.
