Nigeria Launches second Software Incubation Centre in Tinapa

As the 2013 edition of National Software Conference comes up in October,the event which brought the conversion of Tinapa in Cross River State,Nigeria into a Knowledge City has seen the official take off of the second Software Incubation Centre in Tinapa.

You could recall that the first Software Incubation Centre was opened few months ago by the Ministry of Communications Technology in Lagos.The Tinapa based Software Incubation Centre is a partnership between the Federal Government and the Cross River state Government which will create an atmosphere for private sector participation in Software development in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event recently,Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River said that the centre was the first in the south-south geopolitical zone of Nigeria and represents a vision shared between the State and the Federal Governments.

The governor explained that the centre would encourage youths to showcase their capabilities and potentialities in Software development.He added that the incubation centre was a component of Tinapa Knowledge City (TKC) and expressed the hope that the facility would turn around the state’s economy.

It will provide young men and women with capacity and intellect to compete globally in Software development’’, he said.
The governor said that TKC was a product of an investment in an emerging economy of the nation which Cross River was determined to kick start.He expressed the hope that the facility would drive the economy technologically and commended those involved with it for attracting a sustainable facility.Imoke said the centre would be managed by the private sector.

Mrs. Nkoyo Toyo, member, House of Representatives Committee on Information Communication Technology, said the centre would contribute to the development of the state.

Dr. Asairy Daura, who represented the Ministry of Communications Technology, described the centre as a convergence of three visions.According to him, the centre was conceived to create jobs and empower youth while Cross River established TKC as a vision of ICT in Africa and the world.

Daura, assistant director general of Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said ICT was the most important sector that generates job to boost the economy.He said the centre was targeted at creating entrepreneurs out of young people, adding that more centres would be established to create job opportunities by 2015.
Part of the activities of the launch include the reward to winners of the iDEA Hackathon competition which started on Tuesday, July 30 with 27 contestants who were grouped into a team of 10.The iDEA Hackathon competition is a 42-hour app-building contest where the most innovative application will receive a cash prize of N450, 000 ($2 700) and two Z10 BlackBerry smartphones.There are also cash prizes for second and third most innovative Apps.Judges have been carefully selected from top IT firms like Microsoft, Nokia, Google to preside over the Apps developed by the contestants.Chris Uwaje led Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) coordinated the hackathon