Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African entrepreneurs and professionals to fuse into one.
He warned that the continent’s massive economic potential can only be unlocked through radical unity and strategic global partnerships.
He made these remarks yesterday, during a high-profile visit by a delegation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kuo Sharper Foundry Fellowship (2025–2026) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
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Shettima lauded the MIT Kuo-Sharper Centre for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship for its transformative role in the global innovation landscape.
Over the last two decades, the centre’s initiatives have raised more than $1.5 billion in venture capital, created over 30,000 direct jobs worldwide and served over 17 million customers through ventures founded by its fellows.
Shettima urged Nigerian and African founders to leverage MIT’s sophisticated resource mobilisation networks to scale their businesses and address local challenges.
He emphasised that the current administration is intentionally creating a fertile ground for these innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs).
He noted that President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated the courage to take “bold and daring” decisions to reposition the Nigerian economy.
“Africa is the new frontier, and the future belongs to the continent, but its people must unite to transform potential into tangible results that impact lives and livelihoods,” Shettima stated.
The delegation leader and MIT Executive Director, Dina Sherif, briefed Shettima on the Foundry Fellowship, an elite eight-month programme designed for accomplished African entrepreneurs who have already scaled successful ventures.
The fellowship aims to accelerate Nigeria’s startup ecosystem by moving beyond individual business success to building continental infrastructure that supports startups.
It also seeks to transform key systems by shifting the focus from addressing symptoms to restructuring market systems in critical sectors such as energy and agriculture.
Additionally, the programme promotes cross-border collaboration by breaking down silos between major African startup hubs, including Lagos, Nairobi and Cairo.
Sherif described Nigeria as a “leading country” in the continent’s innovation surge and assured that the Kuo Sharper Centre is committed to “fueling the engine of entrepreneurship” across the region through improved access to capital and mentorship.
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The meeting featured a diverse group of stakeholders, including: Zubaida Umar, Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dina Sherif, Executive Director of the MIT Kuo Sharper Centre, African Tech Founders, and current fellows of the 2025–2026 Foundry Fellowship session.
The visit comes at a time when Nigeria is increasingly positioning itself as a “minerals hub” and a digital gateway for the Global South, as seen in recent trade agreements and technological reforms.
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