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By Nana Theresa Timothy, Anna-Nancy Emma
For years, conversations around Nigeria’s technology ecosystem have revolved around Lagos, Abuja, and, increasingly, Port Harcourt. These cities dominate headlines, attract investments, and host the country’s biggest startup conversations. But beyond the spotlight and the fast-paced startup culture of Nigeria’s commercial centres, a quieter movement is gradually gaining momentum in Jos, Plateau State.
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Nestled in the cool hills of the Middle Belt, Jos has long been known for its peaceful weather, tourism appeal, agriculture, and educational institutions. Now, a growing number of innovators believe the city could become one of Nigeria’s strongest emerging technology communities, if the right structures are put in place.
ITEdgeNews visit to Startup Lab. From left, Moses Amama, Nana Theresa Timothy, Olusegun Oruame and Anna-Nancy Emma
Moses Amama and Olusegun Oruame
At the centre of that conversation is Startup Lab, an innovation hub founded by Moses Amama, who believes Jos possesses all the ingredients needed to build a thriving tech ecosystem, but has lacked one critical element: connection.
Speaking during an interaction with the ITEdgeNews team on Thursday, Amama described Jos as a city “building amazingly, but building in isolation.”
“The narrative has to change,” he said. “There’s a huge gap that needs to be bridged in Jos. We have talent here. Creativity is here. We have young people building incredible things. But many of them are disconnected from opportunities, mentorship, visibility, and the larger national ecosystem.”
That gap, according to him, became the driving force behind the creation of Startup Lab.
Building Beyond Co-working Spaces
Co-working space in Startup Lab
Across Nigeria, innovation hubs have increasingly become symbols of modern entrepreneurship. Yet many struggle to go beyond offering internet access and office spaces. Startup Lab, however, was built with a different vision, one focused heavily on talent development, mentorship, and ecosystem building.
For Amama, managing an innovation hub in Jos means more than simply teaching coding or digital skills. It means helping young people avoid the mistakes previous founders made while creating a stronger support structure for future innovators.
One of the reasons we started Startup Lab was to mentor young founders and innovators so they don’t repeat the same mistakes many people made, A lot of talented people fail not because they lack ideas, but because they lack guidance, exposure, and community. Moses Amama
That mentorship-driven approach is gradually shaping the hub into a safe space for aspiring founders, developers, designers, product thinkers, and creatives across Plateau State.
Inside the hub, young innovators collaborate on projects, share ideas, attend workshops, and connect with mentors who understand both the local realities and the global demands of technology.
The goal is simple but ambitious: build globally competitive talent from Jos without forcing people to leave the city before they can succeed.
Why Jos Matters in Nigeria’s Tech Future
Startup Lab conference room
Nigeria’s tech industry has experienced significant growth over the last decade. According to a report by Disrupt Africa, Startups in Nigeria raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture funding between 2020 and 2025, making the country Africa’s leading startup destination. Yet much of that growth remains concentrated in a few urban centres.
For cities like Jos, the challenge has never been talent shortage. The challenge has been visibility and inclusion.
Plateau State is home to institutions such as the University of Jos, Plateau State Polytechnic, and several private colleges producing thousands of graduates annually. Many young people in the city possess strong digital skills, creative abilities, and entrepreneurial ambitions. However, without strong ecosystems, many either relocate to bigger cities or abandon their ideas entirely.
Amama believes this migration of talent is one of the biggest issues affecting regional innovation ecosystems in Nigeria.
There’s a need for Jos talents to build in Jos and still get recognized nationally and globally, People shouldn’t feel they must move to Lagos before their ideas matter. Moses Amama
That philosophy sits at the core of Startup Lab’s operations. Rather than encouraging every ambitious founder to leave, the hub is trying to prove that innovation can thrive from anywhere when community, mentorship, and infrastructure exist.
Managing Talent in a Growing Ecosystem
One of the biggest challenges facing innovation hubs across Africa is talent retention. Many young professionals leave smaller cities once opportunities emerge elsewhere. But Startup Lab is attempting to reverse that trend by creating an environment where talent can grow locally.
Amama noted that managing talent requires intentionality, patience, and emotional intelligence.
People often think managing talent is just about technical training, but it goes beyond that, You’re dealing with people’s confidence, fears, ambitions, and personal struggles. Sometimes mentorship matters more than the technical skill itself. Moses Amama
The hub focuses not only on hard skills like software development, product design, and digital innovation, but also on leadership, communication, teamwork, and resilience. Young innovators are encouraged to think long-term, collaborate with others, and understand the realities of building sustainable products in Nigeria’s economy.
This approach is especially important in Northern Nigeria, where access to startup opportunities and innovation funding remains lower compared to southern cities.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), youth unemployment and underemployment remain major concerns across several northern states. For many young people in Jos, technology is increasingly becoming both a creative outlet and an economic opportunity.
Innovation hubs like Startup Lab are therefore playing a growing role in helping bridge employment gaps while preparing youths for the digital economy.
The Isolation Problem
Despite the progress being made, Amama admits that Jos still faces a major ecosystem challenge: isolation.
Unlike Lagos, where founders, investors, accelerators, media platforms, and developers interact regularly, many innovators in Jos operate independently with limited exposure to larger conversations happening within the national tech industry.
This isolation affects funding opportunities, partnerships, mentorship access, and market visibility.
According to Amama, changing that narrative requires collaboration between government, private sector players, educational institutions, and media platforms.
We cannot continue building in silos, Jos has amazing builders, but people outside often don’t even know what’s happening here. Moses Amama
For him, visibility is not just about recognition. It is about creating economic opportunities for local innovators.
When people hear about what is happening in Jos, partnerships happen. Investors pay attention. Opportunities increase. That exposure matters. Moses Amama
The Advantage of Building From Jos
Ironically, some of the same factors that once made Jos seem disconnected may now become its biggest advantage.
Compared to Lagos and Abuja, the city offers a lower cost of living, less traffic congestion, and a calmer environment that many innovators believe supports creativity and productivity.
Young founders can experiment, learn, and build products without the extreme financial pressure common in larger cities. The city’s relatively peaceful atmosphere also creates room for focused work and stronger community relationships.
These advantages create an opportunity to build a sustainable ecosystem rooted in collaboration rather than competition alone.
Looking Ahead
As Nigeria’s digital economy continues to expand, experts increasingly agree that innovation cannot remain concentrated in only a few cities. The future of African technology growth may very well depend on the rise of regional ecosystems like Jos.
The mission for Startup Lab is not about running another innovation centre. It is about changing perceptions, connecting talent to opportunity, and ensuring that young people in Plateau State believe they can build globally relevant products from their own city.
By mentoring young innovators, fostering collaboration, and creating visibility for local talent, the hub is quietly redefining what innovation in Northern Nigeria can look like.
And while Jos may still be outside the mainstream spotlight of Nigeria’s tech conversation, voices like Moses Amama’s suggest the city is no longer waiting to be invited into the future.
It is already building it.
