Vanessa Obioha
Nigeria and Cabo Verde have opened a new chapter in bilateral cooperation with the launch of the Digital Africa Corridor, a pioneering initiative designed to drive innovation, education, and business partnerships across borders.
The first pilot corridor, convened by SheCode.ai and facilitated in Nigeria by Kryterion Limited, was inaugurated at a high-level roundtable in Abuja on September 1, 2025. The event, co-hosted with Cabo Verde’s Ministry of Digital Economy, gathered 35 leaders from the government, private sector, and the investment community to explore opportunities in artificial intelligence, youth empowerment, and digital cooperation.
A highlight of the roundtable was the signing of an Endorsement Letter by Cabo Verde’s Ministry of Digital Economy, formally recognising SheCode.ai’s flagship program Code the Future – Cabo Verde Rising. The program will train over 500 secondary school girls across three islands in coding, AI, and digital innovation, supported by Portuguese-language STEM toolkits, teacher training, and a national youth showcase.
“SheCode.ai created the Digital Africa Corridor to ensure diplomacy leads to action,” said Christiana Onoja, Co-founder and CEO of SheCode.ai. “With Cabo Verde, we now have proof: a government-endorsed flagship program and a mandate to expand into business cooperation.”
Col. Felix Alaita (rtd), CEO of Kryterion Limited and co-convener, underscored Nigeria’s role. “This pilot corridor shows that when governments, innovators, and the private sector collaborate, the result is not talk, but programs and partnerships,” he said.
Looking ahead, Cabo Verde’s Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Hon. Pedro Nuno Alves Fernandes Lopes, invited SheCode.ai and Kryterion to lead a Nigeria–Cabo Verde Business and Innovation Mission to Praia in the fourth quarter of 2025.
“This endorsement is not just about Cabo Verde,” Lopes said. “It is about showing that African nations can lead their own digital future.”
The mission will bring 20–25 Nigerian businesses to build partnerships across the digital economy, creative industries, renewable energy, tourism, education, and climate action.
Leave a comment