The Nigerian tech ecosystem ranks among the top five in Africa. By 2050, the country's tech ecosystem is expected to be worth $712 billion, according to the 2022 Startup Ecosystem Report. Despite these projections and Nigeria’s potential to rival more developed countries, its tech ecosystem still falls short of tech talents. Yewande Giwa, Head, Governance and Sustainability at Honeywell Group and Ireayo Oladunjoye, Head, Startups, Lagos Innovates discussed the need for public-private partnership in talent development on Traffic Radio (96.1 FM), Lagos. They also discussed Honeywell Group’s partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). Tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, struggle with a talent shortage. While the tech enthusiast seeks proper, hands-on training, the entrepreneur is in search of skilled talents to scale his ideas. Unfortunately, not many people have the required skill set. This gap between talents and requisite skills is one of the problems the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund aims to solve through the Lagos Innovates Programme. Speaking on the need for public-private partnership in talent development and Honeywell Group’s partnership with LSETF, Giwa commented, “Honeywell Group has always invested in companies and initiatives that create lasting impact in the communities in which we operate. This partnership with LSETF isn’t just an avenue to give back to society, we see it as an opportunity to invest in the lives of young people in a way that leaves a lasting impact. For three years running, Honeywell Group has partnered with LSETF, providing young people interested in leveraging tech with an opportunity to get world-class training and internships. This year alone, over 260 participants were selected from a pool of 1000 applicants. One of the beneficiaries, Afolake, a graduate of Statistics, who had always been interested in data analytics was thrilled to have the chance to learn data analytics without having to pay heavily beforehand. She said, “Tech, particularly data analytics, has always piqued my interest. Every time I wanted to pursue it, I had to prioritize the needs of my family. When I lost my job during the pandemic, things became even harder, paying for fees to learn the skill was out of the question for me, so when this opportunity came, I couldn’t pass it off. Describing the objectives of the talent development programme, Ireayo Oladunjoye said; ‘‘The Lagos Innovates Programme is aimed at bridging the gap between tech talents and their dreams, whether it is to create jobs or get employed. We are focused on capacity building and flooding the Lagos tech ecosystem with talents that can compete with global standards. Through our partnership with HGL, we are able to reach more people and help them live better lives. Honeywell Group is a leading investment holding company that has a portfolio of diversified businesses in different sectors such as; technology, real estate, energy, infrastructure, and financial services. The Honeywell Group lives out its mission of creating enduring value that transcends generations through ways like funding and supporting startups and tech-enabled businesses. Its venture capital platform, Itanna, has an objective to champion entrepreneurial talent & disruptive technology and has invested in startups through accelerator programs and direct investments.