Hamzat Lawal appointed as honorary ambassador to Israel

Hamzat Lawal, chief executive officer of Connected Development (CODE), has been appointed as honorary ambassador to Israel for the Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (i-FAIR).

i-FAIR is an initiative launched in 2020 by Israel to provide a platform for Nigerians to share their innovations.

“I have been appointed as a honorary ambassador to Israel,” Lawal wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

Speaking on the expected impact of the i-FAIR initiative, the CODE founder said the scheme will provide Nigerian youths with access to resources to enable them transition their ideas into innovations.

He said the innovations and inventions will further help in changing the course of the country towards the path of technological and industrial advancement.

“The i-FAIR initiative comes at a time when the Nigerian youths need the right opportunities and access to resources to take their ideas from seedlings into tangible solutions that can change the course of the country,” he said.

On his part, Yotam Kreiman, Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, said the i-FAIR initiative, which is being implemented in collaboration with the office of the Vice-President of Nigeria, will provide participants with resources, materials, expertise and mentoring at an ultramodern innovation/fabrication centre (Innov8 Hub).

He said the initiative will enable participants to build prototypes of their inventions and pitch to investors at a grand finale event set to hold in 2022.

Kreiman also disclosed that the initiative recorded success in its first project phase, adding that the support and partnership of at least 10 government agencies were secured.

“Last year, the i-FAIR graduated 21 fellows, engaged 35 experts, involved 30 investors and facilitated the development of 24 prototypes and got support from 10 government agencies and dedicated over 300 hours of mentorship hours to the fellows,” he said.