ABOUT NFTI

OVERVIEW

NFTI aims at Fostering Strategic Convergence in Nigeria-France Technology Relations

With €3.6 billion in bilateral trade in 2017, Nigeria remains France’s leading trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and also the second largest recipient of Foriegn Direct Investment (FDI) from France. Although there are over 120 French companies that are actively engaged in Nigeria, their activities majorly cover sectors such as petrochemicals, industrial products (heavy equipment, metal products, pharmaceuticals) and construction.
Nevertheless, the dynamism of the trade relations has changed in favour of other sectors such as agriculture, smart cities, transport, renewable energy and digital technology.

The recent visit of Monsieur Emmanuel Macron, President of France, to Nigeria in July 2018 is, in fact, a sign of a strong interest in promoting trade, business, and social ties between both countries, with a focus on private sector involvement across strategic sectors as emphasis was placed on the creative sector as well as the startup or tech ecosystem..

Nigeria, representing one of the MINT countries, has experienced in recent times an increased level of foreign investments in the digital and technology sector, compared to other African countries. In 2017, the country raised ($114.6million) startup funding in the digital space (according to Quartz). Yabacon Valley (YV) is seen as the Silicon Valley of Africa because of the rising establishments of tech hubs by international and national investors including state governments, banks, and international digital companies. In addition, the recent announcements of new hubs by Google and Facebook also denote that the upward investment is steady.

Who is involved?

The Embassy of Nigeria, Paris in partnership with major French institutions from both public and private sector alongside their Nigerian counterparts involved in the startup ecosystem

Major Stakeholders:

Embassy of Nigeria, Paris. Agence française de développement (AFD), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

Launch:

The NFTI was unveiled during the Nigeria France Tech Exchange event under the auspices of the Embassy of Nigeria in France on October 2, 2019 in Paris

THE KEY PILLARS (FEVI)

The Nigeria-France Tech Initiative (NFTI) serves as a multi-stakeholder platform to strengthen the tech ecosystem between both countries by leveraging on the following key pillars:

FUNDING

NFTI will support innovative startups from Nigeria with financial resources to scale their business and impact

EXCHANGE

NFTI will support selected Nigerian startups for capacity building programs in France while also helping French organizations find relevant startups to invest in or partner with, in Nigeria. NFTI will also support French startups willing to set up in Nigeria with requisite support

INCUBATION

This arm of NFTI would work with strategic French partners to help incubate the NFTI startups in France for the purpose of business development. Relevant platforms for B2B engagements as well as trainings will also be provided in this process

VISIBILITY

Each year, a dedicated event will be held to showcase the traction and impact of selected startups that are beneficiaries of support through NFTI and likewise showcase new entrants into the initiative. This event will also serve as an avenue to promote the public and private institutions who serve as partners for NFTI from France and Nigeria.

CORPORATE SIGNUP

Are you a Nigerian start-up interested in finding French partners and organizations to support your growth, kindly fill the form below:


    French companies and organizations seeking for Nigerian start-ups or local partners


      2019 NIGERIA FRANCE TECH EXCHANGE

      SOME PARTICIPANTS AT THE 2019 NIGERIA FRANCE TECH EXCHANGE

      PICTURES FROM THE TECH EXCHANGE

      Join the ``Nigeria-France Tech Initiative” today!

      Contact us:

      +33 7 53 56 28 20;+33 7 58 68 37 71

      info@nigeriafrancetech.com

      Find out more about NFTI:

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