The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has empowered three tech start-ups with N13 million grants aimed at supporting the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem to scale their businesses.
The three beneficiaries emerged winners in the 2025 DBN Techpreneur Summit 4.0, themed ‘CTRL+SHIFT Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,’ a competitive idea pitch session that featured seven tech innovators at the bank’s annual flagship tech summit.
BuyScrap, an e-waste tech start-up, came first and received N6 million grant, while QiqiFarms, an agritech start-up, received N4 million for emerging as the first runner-up. Enugu-based Ecocyclers, a plastic waste-to-resource tech start-up, received a N3 million grant as the second runner-up.
“From the Digital Shift workshops to the Eco-Innovation Challenge, we are embedding sustainability, scalability, and impact into the DNA of Nigerian tech ventures,” Tony Okpanachi, managing director/CEO, Development Bank of Nigeria, stated.
He stated that the DBN has over the years continued to switch gears to focus more on strategies for increasing financing in Nigeria’s tech industry. According to him, the theme represents a bold pivot — a strategic reset, powered by technology, to reimagine and rebuild the future of business in Nigeria.
“It is a rallying cry for us to take control, initiate a shift, and chart a new course where technology serves as the backbone of inclusive and sustainable growth,” Okpanachi stated.
He disclosed that the summit has evolved into a tech-empowered movement for Nigeria, and that this year’s theme symbolises more than just a keyboard command. According to him, the annual summit celebrates innovation, collaboration, and the bold spirit of Nigerian entrepreneurship.
Solape Akinpelu, co-founder/CEO, HerVest and keynote speaker at the DBN Techpreneur Summit 2025, stated that Nigeria’s huge population, coupled with a large percentage of youth and enterprising women, offered greater advantages for the country to attract more investments, as technology becomes the new infrastructure for GDP growth and inclusivity.
“Let’s do this with our biggest currency. By currency, I am not referring to oil, data or capital, but time. Time is our biggest currency and greatest ally. Every delay costs us talent as our brilliant minds continue to migrate, not just physically, but digitally.
“If we do not Ctrl Shift, we risk becoming a nation where dreams are exported and value is imported. Without shifting, we will keep importing platforms, outsourcing solutions, and losing control of our data, the new oil,” she stated.
