New tech innovation park, The Nest targets 10,000 female coders by 2020

A new technology innovation park, The Nest has been formally opened in Lagos with focus on creating an enabling environment for technology enthusiasts to thrive, collaborate and achieve their desired results.

The hub, which is situated at Yaba, popularly called the “YabaCon Valley” has also revealed plans to churn out 10,000 young female coders by the end of 2020.

To achieve the 2020 target, The Nest said it had started the ‘Girls Code Academy’, which recently graduated about 250 female coders in the last two sessions, which kicked-off last year.

Co-founder, The Nest, Peter Ogedengbe, at the unveiling, remarked that the Innovation Park is continuously working in line with technology and business entrepreneurs’ demand to ensure that they grow and have access to mentorship, business improvement tools and funding.

Fellow Co-Founder, Oluwajoba Oloba, who led the media parley explained what The Nest offered: “This has a 50-Seater, state-of-the-art and well-equipped training facility that is safe, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and accessible. The nature of work is changing, so we designed the workspaces to cater for your needs, while you focus on your job.

“Incubation is available for startups with products and solutions within Nest’s focus areas, providing funding with the objective of helping businesses transform their ideas into successful high growth enterprises.

“Beyond all of these, the innovation park houses a business lounge which allows The Nest members to get much needed productive breaks from work, while ensuring they can network and pitch their ideas to local and international investors in a serene environment. “Technology paves the road to the future, and we are excited to be able to create a smooth ride to this future for Nigeria” he said.

Director of Incubation, ‘Segun Maleghemi, during the fire-side chat at the official launch event said, “The opening of The Nest shows our resolve to continually drive initiatives that place ‘Techpreneurs’ first.”

At the innovation park, providing the right environment, in addition to technical and mentoring support, techpreneurs will enjoy a collective experience; professional guidance to making the right decisions in terms of technical, legal, market engagement and even diverting or pivoting of their businesses.

“Our park is a community that fosters innovation, helping them to thrive by encouraging experimentation, research, and adoption of new and emerging technologies, in another five to ten years, our plan is to create the largest IT focused technology fund in Nigeria.” he added.

Delivering the key note address, the Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Adebisi Shonubi, explained that hubs are needed facilities for technologists, social entrepreneurs, government, tech companies, and impact investors if they are to thrive and if we are serious about growing the economy.

“We need to take the lead in providing enabling environments for start-ups and businesses to grow and to drive the human capacity development of our youth towards productivity through training, funding, mentoring and collaboration. We need to focus on the adoption of emerging technologies to create data-driven solutions that are innovative, futuristic, sustainable and commercially viable within the economy “Shonubi said.