Hundreds of Nigerian youth rallied on Thursday across five states in the country to show support for the Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB). 

“This rally is to support and create awareness around the importance of the NSB. We also aim to commend the presidency for championing this initiative,” Tracy Okoro, State Engagement Lead at the NSB office, told TechCabal over a phone call.

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NSB is a set of reforms co-created by players in Nigeria’s startup ecosystem including the Nigerian presidency, ministries, startup innovators, investors, regulatory agencies, and local and international volunteering think tanks.

The NSB aims to create an enabling environment for new businesses, especially  tech startups using technology to drive innovations and economic growth, to thrive.

According to Okafor, the rally will be in batches. Today’s rally happened in Lagos, Abuja, Gombe, Yobe, and Ebonyi states. Other states will follow suit soon. For instance, Edo state has scheduled its rally for its Investment Summit Day when invited investors and other stakeholders will be in town.

She also hinted that the bill has passed a second draft and is now at the judiciary. After that, the third draft will follow, be reviewed and then move to the house of assembly for the last legs.

Damilare Dosunmu Author

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