The Queens Borough of New York City, USA, has forged a significant partnership with the Lagos State Government, launching a learning exchange programme aimed at accelerating technological innovation and fostering entrepreneurial growth between Lagos and New York City. This strategic alliance seeks to inspire collaboration, highlight shared interests, and pave the way for a prosperous and inclusive partnership that will have a lasting impact on the innovation ecosystems of both regions.
The Queens Borough-Lagos State partnership focuses on mutual collaboration, with an emphasis on how Queens Borough can provide access to funding for Nigerian startups. Currently, only 12 per cent of tech jobs in the US are held by black individuals. This alliance aims to bridge that gap by offering more opportunities for black and African entrepreneurs to access funding, tap into cross-border opportunities, and expand their markets from Lagos and Africa to New York, thus becoming global solution providers.
Donovan Richards, Borough President of Queens, New York, highlighted the importance of this collaboration, noting that Lagos is Africa’s leading tech ecosystem and deserves the necessary cross-border support to enable its entrepreneurs, innovators, and policymakers to create sustainable solutions for economic growth.
“Lagos is setting the pace on the African continent in technology and innovation, particularly for black entrepreneurs. This partnership is essential for providing access to capital, helping entrepreneurs scale up, and fostering economic opportunities that promote inclusivity and growth,” Richards stated.
Richards further emphasized Lagos’s role as a hub for black brilliance, leadership, and innovation. “We are committed to establishing partnerships and creating pipelines that will help more people of colour secure tech funding,” he added.
Olatunbosun Alake, the former Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Technology, remarked that this partnership aligns with the state’s mission to provide opportunities and foster collaboration within the tech sector. The goal is to resource, build, and create economic value from the tech ecosystems in Lagos State.
“Our aim is to continue supporting our entrepreneurs and stakeholders by creating cross-border partnerships and relationships that will benefit the local ecosystem. This partnership will enable local companies to expand into new markets, network with experts from New York, and collaborate on new ideas that will transform the ecosystem for growth and inclusivity,” Alake explained.
During a week-long visit to Lagos, officials from Queens Borough engaged in a series of strategic meetings and events. These included a visit to the Lagos State Governor to discuss the agenda and key areas of collaboration, exploring shared learnings with the Lagos Business School on talent exchange and programme curation, and hosting a curated event with Nigeria’s tech ecosystem leaders to identify areas for mutual learning and collaboration. Additionally, a Microsoft pitch day was organised, where startups presented their ideas to gain access to funding from New York.
The ecosystem event featured a fireside chat with Donovan Richards, moderated by Victor Afolabi, Founder of Eko Innovation Center. The discussion focused on how the Lagos-Queens partnership can promote innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, while also addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and innovators, with an emphasis on equitable access to resources.
A panel discussion, moderated by Ebony Young, Deputy President of Queens Borough, included prominent figures such as Olatunbosun Alake, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji – Founder and General Partner of Future Africa, and Akinwande Akinsulire, Startup Support Lead at Co-Creation Hub. The panel fostered an engaging dialogue, laying the foundation for a sustainable alliance to create a diverse and inclusive innovation and technology ecosystem in both Lagos and New York.
A key outcome of the partnership is the creation of a mutual Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) desk, enabling Lagos and New York to support each other, collaborate, and provide access to funding for Nigerian startups. Over the past 36 months, Lagos State has funded over 50 startups across various sectors. The Queens Borough-Lagos State alliance will further enhance opportunities for tech startups to scale up by gaining access to funding and expanding into international markets.
This partnership underscores the Lagos State Government’s commitment to driving economic recovery through entrepreneurship development and strategic collaborations. The ecosystem event was well-attended by tech entrepreneurs, stakeholders, innovators, policymakers, and Lagos State Government officials, with strong support from the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Eko Innovation Center, Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology, and Co-Creation Hub.