NITDA Pushes 15-MDA Coordination to Activate Startup Act

In Short

NITDA is asking at least 15 ministries, departments, and agencies to work together to implement the Nigeria Startup Act incentives.

What Happened

NITDA has called for coordination across 15 government MDAs to fully implement incentives under the Nigeria Startup Act.

The request was made in Abuja at an “NSA Incentives Activation Co Creation Session” organised by NITDA’s subsidiary, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation.

NITDA said the Act has been signed for four years, but the key test is execution. That means founders and investors should be able to access benefits without delays or unclear processes.

Officials pointed to tax incentives as a clear example of why coordination matters. Tax incentives are reliefs like reduced taxes or exemptions, and they require action from the Nigeria Revenue Service and other agencies that control rules and enforcement.

Why It Matters

NITDA said the Nigeria Startup Act includes more than 31 incentives across six categories. These include tax and fiscal incentives, regulatory support, funding access, exports and trade support, ecosystem enablers, and training and capacity building.

Many of these incentives depend on separate institutions with different mandates. Without coordination, startups can face bottlenecks such as unclear eligibility, long approval timelines, or agencies interpreting the law differently.

NITDA also highlighted existing structures meant to make delivery easier. These include the Startup Consultative Forum and a digital startup portal, which are meant to provide a single channel for engagement.

For Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, the practical outcome is what matters most. If the incentives become easier to claim, startups may have more runway, investors may see lower policy risk, and government can better track what support is actually being used.

The next step to watch is whether agencies publish clear operational guidelines. That includes who qualifies, what documents are needed, and how long each incentive should take to process.