Ogun’s “Build Here, Stay Here”: A Playbook for Keeping Africa’s Tech Talent
November 24, 2025, wasn't just another Monday in Nigeria's tech calendar it was the day TechCabal's headline crystallized a growing frustration: why do our brightest tech minds keep fleeing to Lagos, Abuja, or abroad? Ogun State's bold "Build Here, Stay Here" initiative, unveiled at the 2025 Ogun Digital Summit five days earlier, is flipping the script. It's not about poaching talent; it's about creating ecosystems so magnetic that founders choose to root their ventures locally.
This push resonates far beyond Ogun's borders, finding a northern echo in Kano State's freshly minted Digital Transformation Agenda (2025–2030). As states across Nigeria wake up to the brain drain, these policies signal a decentralized tech renaissance—one that could redefine how we build Africa's digital future.
The Ogun Playbook: From Slogan to Strategy
At the Ogun Digital Summit on November 20, Governor Dapo Abiodun didn't mince words. "Build here, stay here" isn't fluffy rhetoric; it's a retention manifesto backed by concrete moves to transform Ogun into a tech haven without the Lagos price tag.
Key pillars:
School-to-Startup Hubs: Repurposing underutilized educational institutions into innovation centers. Think coding labs in polytechnics, AI accelerators in secondary schools, and mentorship pods linking students to local VCs. No more "build a shiny ICT park and hope they come" this is grassroots integration.
Incentives That Stick: Tax breaks for startups domiciled in Ogun for five years, subsidized co-working in Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode, and a ₦5 billion seed fund for founders committing to local hiring. Early wins? Partnerships with Andela and CcHUB to train 10,000 devs annually.
Infrastructure Backbone: Fiber optic rollout to 80% coverage by 2027, powered by a public-private pact with MainOne and Phase3 Telecoms.
The summit buzz spilled onto X, where @TechleadersAF hailed it as a "massive signal" against second-fiddle status. @techsomaafrica amplified: "Ogun State just sent a massive signal... they are done playing second fiddle." Founders like those at PiggyVest and Kuda (both Ogun alumni) are already whispering about "homecoming" expansions.
But it's not all smooth: critics on X point to power outages and regulatory red tape as hurdles. One dev tweeted, "Great vision, but fix the roads and NEPA first—founders need reliability, not rallies."
Kano's Northern Blueprint: Skills, E-Gov, and Startup Surge
If Ogun's initiative is a southern spark, Kano's Digital Transformation Agenda (2025–2030) is the northern inferno. Launched under the Kano State Information Technology Development Agency (KASITDA), it mirrors "Build Here, Stay Here" by prioritizing local talent retention through hyper-local digital enablers.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's roadmap unveiled at the Digital Kano Conference outlines a five-year assault on digital divides:
Skills Overhaul: Free coding bootcamps for 50,000 youth, partnering with Google and Microsoft to certify in AI, cybersecurity, and fintech. Focus? Northern-specific challenges like Hausa-language apps and agrotech for farmers.
E-Gov Revolution: Digitizing 70% of state services by 2028, from land titling to tax payments via a unified Kano Digital Gateway. Early rollout: Blockchain for transparent subsidy distribution, cutting ghost beneficiaries by 40%.
Startup Ecosystem Boost: A ₦10 billion innovation fund, tax holidays for Kano-based ventures, and "Digital Corridors" along major markets turning traders into e-commerce pros. KASITDA's DG/CEO even visited NITDA to align on infrastructure, signaling federal buy-in.
As Yusuf reaffirmed at a recent event: “This isn't just about tech it's about making government responsive, transparent, and accountable.” The agenda builds on the Kano State Digital Economy Policy (KSDEP), emphasizing broadband expansion and workforce upskilling to onboard 1 million into the digital economy by 2030.
X reactions? A mix of hype and hope. @waiyaibrahim noted the "strong commitment" with policies already in place. But voices like local entrepreneurs call for more: "Skills are great, but where's the VC pipeline for Muslimah founders?"
Why This Matters: A Decentralized Tech Nigeria?
Ogun and Kano aren't outliers they're harbingers. Nigeria's tech scene, valued at $5 billion in 2025, loses 30% of its talent to migration annually. These state-led pushes challenge the "Lagos monopoly" by betting on proximity: lower costs, cultural fit, and community ties to keep founders grounded.
Echoes abound: Rivers State's no-code hubs, Enugu's green tech incentives. But success hinges on execution cross-state collaborations via NITDA could amplify impact, like shared talent pools or joint accelerators.
The Call: Founders, States, Feds Let's Build Together
For founders: Dive in. Ogun's hubs open applications next month; Kano's bootcamps start Q1 2026. Pitch local, scale global.
For states: Borrow shamelessly. Ogun's school model + Kano's e-gov focus = a national template.
For the feds: Fund it. A ₦100 billion inter-state digital equity fund could turn brain drain into brain gain.
"Build Here, Stay Here" isn't a slogan it's a dare. Will Nigeria's states rise to it, or watch another generation code for foreign flags?
The north-south synergy in Ogun and Kano says yes. Now, let's code the rest.