This year, Kano has joined the ranks of the top 1,000 startup cities globally for the first time. Known as the commercial capital of northern Nigeria, the city has witnessed a surge in startup activities over the past four years. This growth can be attributed to the success of pioneering tech entrepreneurs and a vibrant tech community.
In 2016, a group of four young individuals collaborated to establish one of the first tech incubation hubs in Kano. Their initial goal was to participate in the tech revolution sweeping the country, unaware that this effort would lay the foundation for the states tech ecosystem. In eight years, this hub, known as Startup Kano, has grown to become one of the largest in the northern region. It has served as the gateway into tech for over 50,000 youth in Kano and has assisted early-stage entrepreneurs in raising over $1 million for their tech-enabled businesses.
A tech ecosystem in Kano is markedly different from those in other parts of the country, such as Lagos or Enugu. While the growth in these areas may have served as inspiration, it didnt make the development process in Kano any easier.
Aisha Tofa, co-founder of Startup Kano , explained that in the beginning, they had no blueprint to follow as the environments were vastly different. There was a complete lack of tech awareness in Kano communities, and despite the citys deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit, the idea of investing in technology rather than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses was still largely seen as absurd.
People only understood technology in terms of using social media platforms like Facebook, she said. Anything beyond that, and they didn't trust it.
