Honeywell Group partners Lagos on young tech entrepreneurs

The partnership is being executed through a talent development programme under ‘Lagos Innovates’ – a training project conceptualised to ease the process of building successful tech start-ups in Lagos State. Lagos Innovates is the tech arm of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF),

The initiative aims at providing tools to enable young tech-preneurs to build successful start-ups within the state and has received support from HGL over the past three years. One of the programme’s core objectives is to assist the leading tech startups and founders in Lagos State who have the basic requirements to acquire relevant skills needed to compete in today’s global marketplace.

Head, Corporate Services, Honeywell Group, Tomi Otudeko said creating long-term value for Nigeria and its people has always been at the heart of Honeywell Group’s mission.

“We are invested in impacting our communities, and the tech ecosystem in Lagos is filled with ideas that can revolutionise how we think and operate as a society. We also understand that these young minds need support in accessing the tools and the people required to grow their ideas. It is our duty to support them in any way that we can.

“We are excited to meet these new faces of technology and to partner with Lagos State and Lagos Innovates in easing the path to success,” Otudeko said.

Executive Secretary, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Teju Abisoye said it was a delight to partner with Honeywell Group to develop a talent pool of tech entrepreneurs who can compete favourably with their peers across the world and improve results in the tech eco-system.

“LSETF and Honeywell Group are committed to ensuring that young people are equipped to drive the growing tech ecosystem in Lagos and Nigeria at large, in addition to positioning themselves for the gig economy. Through this partnership, we hope to cement Lagos’ position as the leading destination for start-ups in Africa. We look forward to seeing the impact of the training on job creation,” Abisoye said.

Creating investor-ready start-ups is vital to the overall growth of the economy, and this talent development programme recognises that there is a need to help increase the investment attraction and ultimately, survival rates of Lagos-based start-ups.

In partnership with HGL, Lagos Innovates is supporting capacity development in Lagos State by facilitating access to an integrated development environment (IDE) or tech-focused entrepreneurship content and programming.

The training, which will span over 24 weeks, will involve courses on full-stack development with JavaScript-React JS, Node.js, Express and Mongo DB + API Development; full-stack development for mobile applications-React Native, API Development; Python Programming for web and data science-PYTHON OOP, DJANGO & Data Science; frontend design and engineering-UI/UX, HTML, CSS, ES6 & React JS; full-stack web development, and others.

Applicants must be Lagos State residents evidenced by possession of LASRRA and must be between the ages of 22 and 45 years. They must have completed the mandatory NYSC programme as at the time of application. The application process is open and continuing.

Following the successful completion of two training sessions under the programme, the third batch is slated to begin in July 2022, and applications are open to all individuals based in Lagos.

In line with one of its critical objectives to help grow the next generation of pioneering African companies, Honeywell Group has invested in the initiative over the course of three years and has a long-standing partnership with LSETF.

Training partners for the programme include Skill Paddy, The Nest, DesignU, GOMYCODE, Seed Builders Innovation Hub, Slate Cube, Softwork Freelance Network, Univelcity, Dataleum and Torilo Academy.

Interested applicants are expected to apply and select the courses and training partners of their choice through the Lagos Innovates website. Successful applicants will be announced in July after a two-week screening and selection process by the programme’s steering committee.