The Block Hive team and MTN have partnered to provide 5,000 free Internet routers to support techies, students, remote workers, entrepreneurs, and digital creators in the South-East to accelerate tech innovation. The Block Hive is a co-working and tech hub in Nsukka, Enugu State, established by Ginakev Labs.
Speaking during a meeting with MTN officials on Wednesday in Enugu, Ginakev Labs founder Mr Kevin Okoye said the initiative is expected to make router devices available to young people without the usual upfront purchase cost. Okoye, popularly known as Ezemmuo Blockchain, who is also the CEO of Ginakev Labs, said that the discussion centred on the rapid growth of the technology ecosystem in the South-East and the need for greater private-sector support for young people building in technology.
During the engagement, Okoye shared work being done through Ginakev Digital Academy (GIDA) and The Block Hive to support the region’s technology community and uplift young tech innovators.
“GIDA, the education and skills-development arm of Ginakev Labs, has since 2020 trained over 10,000 youths in digital skills, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and blockchain technology, with most even getting fully funded scholarships to learn for free, supported by Ginakev Foundation.
“While The Block Hive provides a physical environment where developers, entrepreneurs, students, creators and remote workers can learn, work and collaborate,” he said.
Okoye also stressed some of the practical challenges young people face when trying to participate in the digital economy, particularly access to reliable electricity, workspace and internet infrastructure.
“The Block Hive was created in part to address these challenges by providing reliable power, internet connectivity, co-working facilities, training, events, and co-living apartments infrastructure to the technology community,” he said.
He said that following the collaboration, the initiative would leverage The Block Hive’s existing tech community and Ginakev Labs’ network to reach young people across different locations in South-East.
“The Router access will be facilitated through The Block Hive and selected tech community activities such as the upcoming Southeast Blockchain & Games Week 2026, which is being co-convened by me between September 16 and September 19, 2026.
“The South-East Blockchain and Games Week is a further advancement on the ETH Enugu 2025 pop-up city and builder residency Conference, I organised in 2025, putting Enugu and the entire South-East in the spotlight as the first Ethereum Conference in Nigeria,” he said.
Okoye appreciated MTN’s willingness to support the “South-East Blockchain & Games Week 2026” and the free router initiative as it would significantly benefit techies and prospective tech-innovative youths.
“If someone has a laptop, the skills and the ambition to work, the last thing we want is for the cost of getting a router to become the reason they cannot participate. Just like I advocated while speaking on a panel session at the Enugu Tech Festival (ETF 2026) on Web3 Day, this kind of support can make a real difference,” he said.
Responding, MTN’s South-East Regional Representative, Mr Callima Inino, expressed the company’s willingness to support initiatives that create opportunities for youths and strengthen the technology ecosystem in the region.
Inino said that MTN would make selected router devices available to young people through an empowerment-focused approach, at no cost to the customers. According to him, each router – from 4G to 5G – costs up to N60,000, but will be given free, and beneficiaries will only be required to subscribe to the applicable MTN data plan attached to their selected router packages.
“MTN representatives and agents will be present at the South-East Blockchain & Games Week 2026 event across all the build stations the event is setting up in all states of the South-East. Mr Samson Damian, the Facility Manager of The Block Hive, who was also present during the engagement with MTN, described the initiative as an example of how corporate resources can be connected directly to grassroots technology communities.
“We will be providing information about the available router options and facilitating access to eligible offers as well,” he noted.
