The National Board for Technology Incubation, NBTI, on Wednesday presented a post-event scorecard from the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026 in London, anchoring it on investment and development-finance opportunities worth more than $600 million.
At a World Press Conference in Abuja, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, NBTI’s Director-General and Chief Executive, said the finale, held on 9 October at ExCeL London with UK partner UKALD under the theme “From Nigerian Ingenuity to Global Impact,” gave 298 Nigerian innovators — drawn from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory — an international stage, nearly tripling the 105 who participated in 2025.
The pipeline he announced rests on two pillars. The first is a proposed $500 million solar-energy investment programme with Gigawatt Global to build solar farms across Nigerian universities and polytechnics under Power Purchase Agreements.
The second is a $100 million Memorandum of Understanding signed with Financial Innovation for Impact, UK — the Cambridge Investors — to finance the Tinubu Light Initiative, a proposed national solar-inclusion scheme for one million micro and small businesses.
But Raji was unusually blunt about the fine print. “These figures represent proposed investment and financing opportunities and should not be interpreted as US$600 million already received, disbursed or fully deployed in Nigeria,” he said, adding that realisation “will depend on the applicable due diligence, financing arrangements, contractual commitments, approvals and implementation requirements.”
The Tinubu Light Initiative is the boldest of the announcements. It targets one million micro and small enterprises — tailors, barbers, pharmacies, food vendors, printers, point-of-sale operators, women-owned and youth-led businesses — with affordable solar solutions, alongside 10,000 trained field marketers, 50,000 direct youth jobs, ₦30 billion in blended financing for Phase One and an estimated ₦12 billion in annual economic benefits. Again, Raji stressed these are targets, not achievements.
He framed the problem the scheme is meant to solve in practical terms: small businesses contending with high energy costs, unreliable electricity and the expense of running petrol and diesel generators — costs that shrink margins, shorten trading hours and stall otherwise promising enterprises.
NBTISuccess, he conceded, “will depend on sound financing, transparent beneficiary selection, reliable equipment, effective maintenance, appropriate consumer protection and measurable delivery.”
The London finale also produced a string of smaller commitments. Dubai-based investor Erin Grover announced a $100,000 investment commitment for three women innovators, which NBTI says must now be converted into “clearly documented investment arrangements.” Dr Mazin Gadir announced international accelerator placements in Finland, Estonia, Poland and Abu Dhabi for 16 selected ventures, valued at roughly $10,000 each — an aggregate of $160,000. The 16 range from SAMA GOLD, CellGuard and Euler to GreenBook and 9ja Farm, spanning agriculture, healthcare, artificial intelligence, education and clean energy.
In addition, the Learning and Development Bureau UK, represented by Professor Langley and Dr Obe, offered the same 16 innovators scholarships for the Pre-MBA Level 7 Award in Strategic Leadership and Management — each worth more than £5,000, exceeding £80,000 in total — and pledged support with applications for the UK’s Global Talent Visa, subject to eligibility.
Raji tied the showcase to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying NBTI’s mandate is to “help translate the potential of indigenous technology into practical economic value.”
But he repeatedly pushed back against the temptation to celebrate headlines. “Participation numbers alone are not our ultimate measure of success,” he said.
“Our real ambition is to ensure that more Nigerian innovations become sustainable businesses, more businesses create decent jobs, more technologies solve pressing national problems”, he emphasised.
The address closed with a call to investors, banks, universities and development partners to engage the ecosystem — and an unusual invitation to scrutiny. “Our innovators need more than applause,” Raji said. “They need market access, technical mentorship, investment, manufacturing capacity, distribution networks.” To the media, he added: “Constructive public scrutiny is essential. It helps institutions improve, partnerships mature and public confidence grow.”
NBTI’s next phase, he said, would prioritise due diligence, bankable project preparation, job tracking, transparent reporting of awards and beneficiaries, and fair access for innovators from every part of the country.
“Our innovators have demonstrated that Nigeria has ideas worthy of international attention,” Raji concluded. “Our responsibility is to help create the conditions in which those ideas can grow, compete and deliver lasting value to our people.”
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