The Federal Government has unveiled the NEXTGEN Innovation Challenge 2026, a national programme aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading technology and investment destination on the continent.
The initiative was announced at a press conference in Abuja by Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, Director General of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), who described it as more than a competition — calling it a national development catalyst and a platform for global innovation diplomacy.
According to Raji, the programme is built around a simple but ambitious goal: moving Nigerian innovators “from laboratories to livelihoods, from prototypes to products, and from ideas to commercial success.”
Organised by the NBTI in partnership with UK-based consultancy UKALD, the challenge will connect Nigerian entrepreneurs with international investors, development finance institutions, multilateral agencies and private sector partners. Innovation boot camps will kick off in Abuja, with the grand finale set for October 2026 at the ExCeL London in the United Kingdom. Additional international editions are planned for Doha, Qatar, targeting Middle East investors and sovereign wealth funds.
Raji credited President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda — including the Nigeria First Policy — as the foundation for repositioning innovation as a pillar of national development, saying the administration had embraced the philosophy that “innovation is the new oil.”
Priority sectors for this year’s challenge include artificial intelligence and robotics, 6G telecommunications, green energy, climate resilience, agri-tech, health-tech, edu-tech, advanced semiconductors, gender-inclusive innovation, and 3D manufacturing — all aligned with Nigeria’s development goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The NBTI also announced planned collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and the Commonwealth Investment Network, with the programme structured to attract foreign direct investment and unlock climate finance.
Raji called on Nigerian universities to shift focus toward commercialising research, urged investors to channel structured capital into startups, and encouraged young Nigerians to treat their ideas as national assets.
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