The Ekiti State Government has secured an $800,000 funding support facility from the United Nations Development Programme to equip and furnish its Information and Communications Technology Start up Garage currently under construction in Ado Ekiti. The Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Digital Economy, Seun Fakuade, disclosed this during an interactive session, noting that the facility located within the State Secretariat complex would be completed before the end of the year.
Fakuade explained that the project forms a critical part of the vision of Governor Biodun Oyebanji to reposition Ekiti as a knowledge driven and innovation focused economy. He stressed that the government was determined to ensure that students in public schools acquire relevant skills that would make them globally competitive, especially in a fast evolving digital landscape.
He further revealed that the Ministry of Innovation was working closely with the State Ministry of Education to integrate future of work skills into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. According to him, the initiative builds on existing ICT training while introducing practical and industry relevant competencies, supported by STEAM boot camps designed to expose students to hands on learning, problem solving and collaboration with professionals.
The commissioner added that the state had continued to deepen investments in digital capacity development through programmes such as robotics training, coding sessions and innovation support schemes.
He disclosed that the Ekiti Innovation Hub had been strengthened to support startups across key sectors, while an Innovation Enterprise Fund had been introduced to encourage breakthroughs in ICT research. He also noted that the state had attracted $80 million from the African Development Bank for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone, which has received federal approval as a Service Innovation and Free Trade Zone to drive job creation and attract investment.