The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled the Innovation Space at its Abuja headquarters to empower NYSC corps members as tech entrepreneurs amid Nigeria’s swelling youth unemployment crisis.
The hub, launched with NYSC leaders, tech experts, and corps members present, aims to equip youth for a digital economy. NITDA DG Kashifu Inuwa stressed that 3.5–4 million young Nigerians join the job market yearly and thus called on corps members to gain skills, innovate, and build visibility—citing his own 2004 service-year project that secured a N1.5 million deal. “Before you leave, build a business or create value to claim your spot,” he said.
NYSC DG Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu hailed it as a blueprint for empowerment, noting NYSC’s digital shift like digitized ID cards from 2026 Batch A Stream One. He eyed adopting a PPA verification tool from NITDA corps members.
Corps teams demoed solutions like Team Sentinel and Trivergent’s NITDA Smart ID system—a real-time, NFC-enabled platform merging mobile/web access to cut reprinting and multi-card hassles—and Team COPA’s NYSC Corps360 app for efficiency.
