By Michael Ajayi
The Director-General, National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Dr Kazeem Raji, says Nigeria’s target of building a 1-trillion-dollar economy relies on commercialising indigenous research and driving local enterprises into global markets.
Raji stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
He spoke while detailing the outcome of the 2026 NextGen Innovation Challenge grand finale in London, where 298 Nigerian innovators from the 36 states and the FCT were showcased to global investors.
According to him, sustainable national prosperity cannot be achieved through government expenditure or natural resources alone, but through private enterprise, technology export, and intellectual property creation.
“A one-trillion-dollar economy cannot be built by government alone.
“It must be built by Nigerians who innovate, manufacture, invest, create intellectual property, build enterprises, and compete successfully in global markets,” Raji said.
He said that the number of participating local innovators expanded from 105 in the previous edition to 298 in 2026, reflecting a growing push to move indigenous research from prototypes to marketable enterprises.
He added that the ultimate benchmark of the showcase would be measured by the investments secured, businesses established, and jobs created for young Nigerians.
Also, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amb. Aminu Dalhatu, represented by Amb. Abu Eche, noted that modern diplomacy must actively connect local researchers with global capital.
Dalhatu commended the partnership between NBTI and UK Africa Leadership and Development (UKALD), proposing the extension of the NextGen platform to other Commonwealth nations to widen market access for Nigerian startups.
“Diplomacy today must go beyond governments speaking to governments; it must connect businesses to markets, innovators to investors, and Nigerian opportunities to global capital,” he said.
Dr Mukhtar Muhammad, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, pledged expanded Ministry backing, proposing that state governments establish localised screening frameworks to feed into future global showcases.
“If you identify a problem in society and develop a workable solution, you are making a greater impact than someone pursuing multiple academic degrees without commercial output,” Muhammad said.
In his remarks, Hon. Tunde Doherty, the Executive Director of UKALD and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the UK, urged foreign investors to view Nigeria as an emerging technology hub with ready-to-scale products.
Also, Ms Erin Grover, an international investor, commended the quality of the showcases, expressing intent to fund female-led startups participating in the exhibition.(NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
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