Aminu Kyari

Aminu Kyari is an entrepreneurship ecosystem builder, innovation strategist, and institution founder with over a decade of experience designing, delivering, and scaling entrepreneurship, technology, leadership, and capacity-building initiatives across Nigeria and emerging markets.

He is the Founder and Executive Director of LeedGate Innovation Hub, an initiative of ArewaPreneurs (Arewa Entrepreneurship Frontier Network), established to inspire ideas, fuel growth, and support the emergence of resilient entrepreneurs, technologists, and changemakers—particularly in underserved and emerging communities. Through LeedGate and its affiliated entities—LeedGate Innovation Hub, LeedGate & Partners Ltd, LeedGate School for Entrepreneurship and Technology, and LeedGate Development Company Limited—spanning innovation, business development, education, and development services—Kyari supports startups, SMEs, institutions, and community-based initiatives from ideation through execution and scale.

Kyari has worked on projects supported by international development partners, including USAID and UKAID, delivering entrepreneurship training, digital skills programs, and enterprise development support. His work places strong emphasis on inclusive development, with direct experience training and mentoring women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups, helping participants build practical skills, confidence, and sustainable pathways to economic participation.

His ecosystem development experience includes leading and supporting large-scale capacity-building programs as a Business Development Service Provider (BDSP), covering cluster development, cluster management, business case development, and access to finance. He has contributed to the design of course curricula, training methodologies, and peer-learning models for hundreds of young people, combining technical instruction with entrepreneurial mindset development and mentorship.

Under his leadership, LeedGate Innovation Hub has grown into a purpose-built innovation and learning facility with multiple training spaces and outdoor event capacity, serving as a platform for startup incubation, mentorship, innovation programming, and cross-sector dialogue. The hub plays a catalytic role in advancing inclusive economic growth and social impact in Northern Nigeria.

Beyond his founder roles, Kyari serves on several boards, including the Community Youth Development Initiative (Kaduna) and the African Innovative Farmers Initiative, contributing strategic oversight and governance support. He has also held strategic advisory, operational, and director-level roles across organizations in energy solutions, maritime and shipping, logistics, technology, and the non-profit sector, supporting strategy, brand positioning, digital communications, operational structuring, and market engagement.

Kyari is a Director at LSA Shore Maritime Limited and Marmara Logistics Limited, and the Founder of Zazza App, reflecting his interest in technology-enabled platforms that improve efficiency and market connectivity. He is also the Founder of the Alternative Leadership Initiative, a civil society organization focused on civic education, political awareness, and leadership renewal.

He actively engages with academia, policymakers, development partners, and global networks, including institutions such as Kaduna State University (KASU). Kyari believes entrepreneurs are critical global connectors—bridging ideas and markets, talent and opportunity, and local ecosystems with the global innovation economy. His work is driven by a commitment to inclusive growth, ecosystem resilience, and meaningful cross-border collaboration.