The Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) has unveiled 37 innovation hubs under iHatch Cohort 5, one in each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, creating one of the continent’s most expansive decentralised startup infrastructure programmes.
The policy intent is to dismantle the geographic concentration of innovation in Lagos and Abuja and replace it with a distributed, state-level system capable of unlocking entrepreneurial capacity nationwide.
“These hubs will play a key role in supporting founders, coordinating activities and building stronger startup communities nationwide,” ONDI said, positioning the hubs as the primary entry points into Nigeria’s formal innovation economy.
Correcting a structural imbalance
Nigeria’s startup ecosystem is Africa’s largest by deal volume. It has scaled rapidly, drawing over $1 billion in annual venture capital at its peak. Yet this growth has remained heavily skewed, with the vast majority of funding, incubation and technical support concentrated in a handful of cities.
iHatch Cohort 5 is a direct intervention to close that gap.
Each hub will deliver incubation, mentorship, advisory services and access to national acceleration pipelines, while also coordinating local innovation programmes and strengthening state-level ecosystems. The model is designed to convert informal, fragmented entrepreneurial activity into structured, scalable ventures.
A national innovation grid takes shape
The “one hub per state” approach signals a shift from centralised clusters to a distributed innovation grid embedding infrastructure closer to where problems and therefore entrepreneurial opportunities, originate.
For founders, this reduces entry barriers like proximity to training, lower participation costs and stronger local networks. For investors and policymakers, it improves visibility into early-stage pipelines across regions historically excluded from formal startup ecosystems.
Full list of iHatch Cohort 5 hubs
ONDI’s rollout spans all six geopolitical zones, with each state now anchored by a designated innovation hub:
South East
Abia – Softicu Tech Hub
Anambra – TEKHUB
Ebonyi – MOBILEGIGO LTD
Enugu – Roar Nigeria Hub
Imo – Uru Tech Hub / Libertas Alpha Technologies
South South
Akwa Ibom – Start Innovation Hub
Bayelsa – AGM TECHPLUSE NG
Cross River – Lookoos Co-Creative Hub
Delta – Digitalabode
Edo – Mid Town Tech Hub
Rivers – Cole Tech Yard (Ctech)
South West
Ekiti – Brainbench Technology Nig Ltd
Lagos – Premier Hub Innovation Center
Ogun – NEYI Techprenuership Hub
Ondo – The Growth Hub
Osun – Oroki Innovation Hub Limited
Oyo – Ennovate Lab
North Central
Benue – Hub 17 Nigeria
FCT – Start Studio Innovation Hub (by Center for Strategic Enterprise Development)
Kogi – Mentor-Box Foundation
Kwara – Founders Hub
Nasarawa – Digital Nasarawa Innovation Hub
Niger – Paritie Innovation Hub
Plateau – Axia Hub
North East
Adamawa – BCH Hub
Bauchi – Startup Bauchi
Borno – Innotech Ideation Hub
Gombe – Dopal Technologies Ltd
Taraba – GRADENET DIGITAL HUB
Yobe – GONI NEXUS ENTERPRISE LIMITED
North West
Jigawa – Start Up Jigawa
Kaduna – Stonetech Square
Kano – Enovate Lab
Katsina – Lumilab Innovations Hub
Kebbi – Startup Kebbi
Sokoto – 21st Century Entrepreneurs Hub
Zamfara – Venturelab Innovation Hub
Execution will determine impact
The ambition is considerable, but execution will be decisive. Distributed systems require consistent funding, programme standardisation and tight coordination between federal and local actors to avoid fragmentation.
If delivered effectively, however, the network could become a critical discovery engine for Nigeria’s next generation of founders broadening participation and deepening the country’s startup pipeline.
Nigeria’s move aligns with a wider African trend towards inclusive innovation systems. Countries such as Kenya and Rwanda are similarly experimenting with decentralised models, but none at this scale.
For African entrepreneurship, the message is that the next wave of innovation will not be confined to capital cities. It will be built in a more distributed, digitally connected landscape where talent, not geography, determines opportunity.
If ONDI’s iHatch network delivers on its promise, Nigeria will not merely expand its startup ecosystem, it will redefine how innovation is scaled across Africa.
