As part of the recently launched 4Afrika Initiative, a strategic partnership has been reached between CcHUB and Microsoft in a bid to strengthen the tech ecosystem in Nigeria. This partnership aims to offer our community increased access to software and skills development opportunities. It is also a means through which innovative startups can access capital investment, benefit from international outreach and scale their businesses to the world through Microsoft’s cloud computing solutions.

According to Bosun Tijani, CEO of Co-creation Hub Nigeria, “This partnership is the culmination of several collaborations between CcHUB and Microsoft Nigeria over the past two years and we are really excited at the opportunity to implement programs in support of innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.”

The Microsoft 4Afrika initiative is a multi-year initiative that seeks to actively engage in Africa’s economic development using a three-pronged approach of World-class skills, Access and Innovation. This will be done through exploring new ways of linking the growth of Microsoft’s business with initiatives that accelerate growth for the continent.

Mteto Nyati, Vice Chair of the 4Afrika Advisory Council had this to say: “Microsoft sees boundless potential in African youth, developers and entrepreneurs, and we view the collaborative efforts with these innovation hubs across the continent as strategic and crucial opportunities for us to extend our support to their ecosystems. Through the 4Afrika initiative, we are deeply committed to helping accelerate African innovation, and we hope these efforts will help us reach more people who are looking to turn their great ideas into a reality that can empower their community, their country and Africa at large.”

Microsoft will work with CcHUB to:

• Support the startup community with Microsoft BizSpark memberships and access to business networking and capital investment opportunities. BizSpark is a global program that helps startups grow into successful businesses through software support and a vibrant ecosystem that delivers exceptional business advantage.

• Enable developers to access the latest events and workshops on Microsoft’s newest development technologies through relevant community events.

• Provide Microsoft devices, including Windows Phones and Windows-based tablets, for testing applications and other software developed by the local IT communities.

• Enable the Nigerian tech community benefit from the 4Afrika Volunteer program, which will provide access to the pool of Microsoft employees volunteering in Africa as visiting trainers and mentors at CcHUB’s facilities.

• Enable CcHUB to benefit from the 4Afrika Internship program, which will provide access to the pool of talent graduating as 4Afrika interns as potential hires for our own facilities.

Here is yet another reason for you to join our community!