Blab Tech
Anambra State Disburses 80 Million to 80 Startups, Graduates 400 Tech Professionals
On June 16, 2026, the Anambra State government announced that it had disbursed ₦80 million to 80 startups and celebrated the graduation of 400 technology professionals. The ceremony, held at The Light House in Awka, was organized by the Solution Innovation District (SID), the state‑run innovation hub.
The funding is part of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s broader strategy to position Anambra as a leading technology and innovation hub in Nigeria. When he addressed the crowd, the governor said the initiative was driven by a “strategic imperative to secure the future of our state and its people.”
The 12‑week incubation programme run by the SID, which the startups completed, covered business development, market validation, customer discovery, financial planning and investor readiness. Each of the 80 startups received ₦1 million, bringing the total investment to ₦80 million. SID CEO Chinwe Okoli described the exercise as the largest single‑day state‑backed investment in Nigeria, noting that the state’s startup ecosystem now includes more than 111 companies that have benefited from various incubation and acceleration programmes.
In addition to the startup funding, the event highlighted the graduation of 400 technology professionals. The graduates had completed training in robotics, network engineering, embedded systems, automation and sensor programming. Three hundred of them finished a robotics programme delivered in partnership with Circum Technologies. The training was designed to prepare young people for opportunities in the global digital economy.
Digital Tribe champions—members of the One Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT) programme—were also recognised and presented with laptops for their volunteer contributions. The 1MADT initiative aims to equip one million residents of Anambra with digital skills by 2030, and the state has already reached 264,000 beneficiaries.
The event also announced plans to transform the former Government House premises, which currently house the SID, into a permanent technology campus. New facilities are expected to be commissioned soon. Connekt Broadband, a local internet service provider, secured a space within the planned campus and intends to establish a business process outsourcing centre that will create additional employment for technology graduates.
CEO Ifeanyi Adirika of Connekt Broadband unveiled a ₦1 billion Connectivity Fund to accelerate broadband access across Anambra’s 21 local government areas. The fund will support internet connectivity in schools, hospitals, markets and public institutions, and will create business opportunities for graduates of the ISP engineering programme. Some of the newly trained engineers are expected to serve as deployment partners and sub‑licensees in Connekt’s broadband expansion plans.
These initiatives reflect Anambra’s ambition to become “Africa’s Silicon Valley,” a vision that Governor Soludo reiterated at the Africa Innovation and Investment (AfricaX) summit in Abuja. The state’s innovation model brings together government, academia and the private sector to drive economic transformation.
At present, the state has completed the funding of 80 startups, graduated 400 technology professionals, and announced the launch of a permanent technology campus and a broadband connectivity fund. The next steps will involve commissioning the new campus facilities, deploying the broadband expansion, and monitoring the progress of the 80 funded startups and 400 graduates as they enter the market.
The funding is part of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s broader strategy to position Anambra as a leading technology and innovation hub in Nigeria. When he addressed the crowd, the governor said the initiative was driven by a “strategic imperative to secure the future of our state and its people.”
The 12‑week incubation programme run by the SID, which the startups completed, covered business development, market validation, customer discovery, financial planning and investor readiness. Each of the 80 startups received ₦1 million, bringing the total investment to ₦80 million. SID CEO Chinwe Okoli described the exercise as the largest single‑day state‑backed investment in Nigeria, noting that the state’s startup ecosystem now includes more than 111 companies that have benefited from various incubation and acceleration programmes.
In addition to the startup funding, the event highlighted the graduation of 400 technology professionals. The graduates had completed training in robotics, network engineering, embedded systems, automation and sensor programming. Three hundred of them finished a robotics programme delivered in partnership with Circum Technologies. The training was designed to prepare young people for opportunities in the global digital economy.
Digital Tribe champions—members of the One Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT) programme—were also recognised and presented with laptops for their volunteer contributions. The 1MADT initiative aims to equip one million residents of Anambra with digital skills by 2030, and the state has already reached 264,000 beneficiaries.
The event also announced plans to transform the former Government House premises, which currently house the SID, into a permanent technology campus. New facilities are expected to be commissioned soon. Connekt Broadband, a local internet service provider, secured a space within the planned campus and intends to establish a business process outsourcing centre that will create additional employment for technology graduates.
CEO Ifeanyi Adirika of Connekt Broadband unveiled a ₦1 billion Connectivity Fund to accelerate broadband access across Anambra’s 21 local government areas. The fund will support internet connectivity in schools, hospitals, markets and public institutions, and will create business opportunities for graduates of the ISP engineering programme. Some of the newly trained engineers are expected to serve as deployment partners and sub‑licensees in Connekt’s broadband expansion plans.
These initiatives reflect Anambra’s ambition to become “Africa’s Silicon Valley,” a vision that Governor Soludo reiterated at the Africa Innovation and Investment (AfricaX) summit in Abuja. The state’s innovation model brings together government, academia and the private sector to drive economic transformation.
At present, the state has completed the funding of 80 startups, graduated 400 technology professionals, and announced the launch of a permanent technology campus and a broadband connectivity fund. The next steps will involve commissioning the new campus facilities, deploying the broadband expansion, and monitoring the progress of the 80 funded startups and 400 graduates as they enter the market.
