Governor pledges to make Ekiti technological, entrepreneurship hub

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on Wednesday, promised to deploy all available resources to make the state the hub of technological innovations and entrepreneurship among other states in the country.

He said the vision of his administration is to position Ekiti as a beacon of innovation, contributing to Nigeria’s economic development and enhancing the prosperity of her people.

Mr Oyebanji made this known in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, at the opening ceremony of the Ekiti Innovation Summit and Festival.

The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Habibat Adubiaro, said the government was targeting a situation whereby a brighter future for the younger generation would be guaranteed through creative and other alternative means that are decent.

He said: “As we are gathered here today, we acknowledge the tremendous potential of our youths, who are the driving force behind the Ekiti i ovation ecosystem.

“This has reinforced the commitment of the present administration to providing the necessary support, resources, and infrastructure needed to enable them to thrive in the digital era”.

‘Ekiti already moving in the right direction’

According to the governor, with the recently established initiatives, like the Ekiti Startup Garage, which serves as a hub for ideas to flourish, and transform into groundbreaking solutions for both local and global challenges, Ekiti is already moving towards a prosperous, technologically driven economy.

“To this end, I wish to implore stakeholders and beneficiaries of this innovation summit and festival to foster meaningful and beneficial connections that would be impactful.

“We also expect the dissection of key challenges and opportunities in Ekiti State’s innovation ecosystem and how these opportunities can be harnessed.

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“As such, we are poised to be at the front of digitalised economies within the nation”, Mr Oyebanji said.

Earlier in his welcome address, the state’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Digital Economy, Oluwaseun Fakuade, said the summit had become necessary because it was the resolve of the present administration to transform the state on the path of creativity and innovation.

The commissioner explained that the present administration, led by Mr Oyebanji, has always sought to position Ekiti as a beacon of innovation, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic development and enhancing the prosperity of the people of the state.

He, therefore, enjoined participants to take the contents of the summit seriously to justify the trust for which the summit was conceptualised.