Cisco has achieved a significant milestone through its collaboration with TD Africa, a leading technology solutions provider in Sub-Saharan Africa, to establish the Cisco EDGE Center in Lagos, Nigeria. This innovative hub is located within the Tech Experience Centre and functions as an incubator, granting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) access to state-of-the-art Cisco communication and collaboration technology, alongside comprehensive training and empowerment programs. Furthermore, SMMEs will have the invaluable opportunity to connect with global Cisco experts who can assist them in shaping business ideas in the digital landscape.
The acronym "EDGE" encapsulates the values of "Experience, Design, GTM (Go to Market) and Earn," with the overarching aim of sharing business expertise to stimulate innovation, foster the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in the digital age, expedite their market entry and consequently generate new job opportunities within the local economy.
The center encompasses three pivotal functions within a single establishment: it serves as a platform for local partners to showcase technologies and host client events; it provides essential resources and tools to local innovators and entrepreneurs, facilitating the creation of more secure, intelligent and interconnected solutions; and it offers comprehensive training programs and education in the most advanced digital technologies.
The establishment of the EDGE Center is an integral part of Cisco's CDA (Country Digital Acceleration) program in Nigeria. Launched in 2015, the CDA program has extended its reach to 49 countries, encompassing over 1,500 active or completed projects that touch more than two-thirds of the global population and contribute to 75 percent of the global GDP. Earlier this year, as part of the CDA, Cisco and NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) signed a significant memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at supporting the nation's digital transformation agenda and making substantial contributions to digital skills training and development.
A prominent element of the CDA program in Nigeria is the Cisco Networking Academy, which currently provides education to over 120,000 students across 228 academies scattered throughout the country. The Cisco Networking Academy, renowned as one of the longest-standing IT skills-to-jobs programs globally, has played a pivotal role in equipping over 400,000 individuals in Nigeria with essential digital and cybersecurity skills over the past years.