inDrive urges private sector to support tech talent

inDrive has called for greater investment and collaboration among employers, investors, policymakers and other private-sector stakeholders to create more opportunities for Nigerian technology talent to apply their skills and build scalable businesses.

The Country Manager, inDrive Nigeria, Timothy Oladimeji, made the call during a panel session titled “Building and Reshaping the Tech Talent Story” at GITEX Nigeria 2026 in Lagos.

The discussion focused on the gap between the growing pool of trained technology professionals and the opportunities available for them to gain practical experience, develop their capabilities and turn ideas into businesses.

GITEX Nigeria’s Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference was held at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, on September 2 and 3, as part of the wider event running from August 31 to September 3. The organisers positioned the programme around technology, investment, startups, talent development and digital transformation.

Oladimeji noted that Nigeria had significant technology talent but needed a stronger ecosystem connecting skilled people with employers, capital and practical opportunities.

“Every player and stakeholder, especially employers and the private sector, has a responsibility to contribute to the system. If you are here for the long term, you have to think about how you invest in the system that will eventually provide the talent you need in the future,” he stated.

He urged companies to look beyond recruitment by opening internal learning resources and sharing knowledge from previous campaigns and product deployments. Such exposure, he explained, could give emerging professionals a better understanding of how technology is applied to real business problems.

The comments come as Nigeria seeks to expand its technology workforce while attracting more investment into startups and digital businesses. GITEX Nigeria itself brought together technology companies, startups, investors and government representatives, with talent development and the expansion of research and development ecosystems among its stated priorities.

Oladimeji also pointed to inDrive’s programmes supporting technology entrepreneurs as part of the company’s contribution to talent development.

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He highlighted the 2026 Aurora Tech Award, an inDrive-backed initiative focused on women technology founders in emerging markets. The programme received 3,400 applications from 127 countries, with Nigeria recording the highest number of applications among participating countries.

The strong Nigerian participation, he noted, illustrated that the challenge facing many technology entrepreneurs extends beyond technical skills to access to capital and opportunities for growth.

“Nigeria’s technology story is often discussed as a skills challenge, but for many talented entrepreneurs, particularly women founders, the challenge goes beyond skills to access to capital and opportunities to grow,” Oladimeji explained.

He added that the volume of applications from Nigeria demonstrated the depth of entrepreneurial activity in the country while highlighting the need for mechanisms that can help founders move from promising ideas to scalable businesses.

The Aurora Tech Award has expanded beyond recognition and competition. In May, inDrive announced Aurora Ventures, an early-stage investment programme designed to invest in women founders from emerging markets who have built businesses but may face difficulty accessing traditional venture capital.

For Oladimeji, the broader challenge is therefore not simply producing more technology workers, but building an ecosystem in which companies, investors and policymakers help turn skills and innovation into sustained economic activity.

“Every player and stakeholder, especially employers and the private sector, has a responsibility to contribute to the system,” he reiterated.

The call reflects a wider debate around Nigeria’s technology economy, where access to funding, market opportunities and practical industry experience remains as important to entrepreneurs as technical capability. GITEX Nigeria’s investment programme similarly brought startups together with venture capital firms, family offices, accelerators and other investors seeking opportunities across the Nigerian market.

The proposed approach would require companies to treat talent development as part of their long-term investment rather than an isolated corporate initiative, particularly as businesses increasingly depend on technology skills to expand digital products and services.