Owing to the high cost of manufacturing or setting up manufacturing infrastructure in Nigeria, a good majority of young tech engineers and entrepreneurs opt for having a software startup rather than hardware.
Another major reasons entrants avoid playing in the hardware space is time. Unlike software solutions, hardware development entails an excruciating gestation period. This is because product development usually takes months possibly years of design and prototyping before it gets ready for market.
To ease the pain of gestation, AlphaHUB, an Innovation centre, dedicated to driving research and development in Hardware and Embedded System Technology, has opened in Kaduna State (Northern Nigeria). Its aim is to provide training, support and co-working space for budding entrepreneurs interested in the hardware development in Nigeria and Africa at large.
The Founder of AlphaHUB, Victor Jibro, an entrepreneur with a passion for solving problems, explained the need for a tech hub with a focus in Hardware Technology to be established in Nigeria to meet the growing demand for smart devices.
According to him, AlphaHUB is dedicated to solving Africa’s greatest challenges with regards embedded systems, as a lot of devices in our homes and institutions run on them. Example of such devices include inverters, stabilizers, alarm systems, car security, RFID door locks used by hotels and secured facilities.
“Most times we import these devices at huge cost and when they develop faults, we end up discarding them or pay heavily to fix them. Through our hands-on approach, we seek to bridge the skill gaps in quality tech talents in Nigeria, by equipping human capacity with an innovative problem-solving approach to handle hardware challenges”, he said.
Victor Jibro also noted that “AlphaHUB is all about convenience and work efficiency.” It offers office spaces for teams and desk spaces for individuals. For members that signup at the Hub, they stand to enjoy privileges, which include a 12hrs daily access, free Wifi, free coffee, meal discounts in hub cafe, front desk service, office address and lots more.
“Our community is just the right place for entrepreneurs that desire to be successful”, he concludes.
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