In an effort to showcase Nigerian ingenuity and project the country’s innovation potential to the world, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has joined global innovators and other stakeholders at the 2026 NextGen Innovation Challenge at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London.
The event, which brought together 298 innovators, was organised by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) to provide a platform for showcasing innovative ideas, technological advancements and participants’ creative potential.
In his address, the Director-General of NBTI, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, emphasised the need to transform innovative ideas into viable businesses. He noted that innovation must go beyond prototypes to produce commercially successful products that contribute to economic growth.
Dr Raji also stressed the importance of collaboration among government institutions, private-sector organisations, universities and investors. He explained that such partnerships were essential to providing innovators with funding, technical support and access to international markets.
The programme featured an exhibition of Made-in-Nigeria products, including clothing, food items and other locally developed products, showcasing the creativity and entrepreneurial abilities of Nigerians to an international audience.
The challenge highlighted Nigeria’s growing innovation potential across sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, energy, manufacturing and emerging technologies. Their participation demonstrated how homegrown solutions could address societal challenges and support national development.
The event also emphasised the need to connect innovators with investors, manufacturers and other partners to facilitate product development and commercialisation, create employment opportunities and contribute to economic growth.
The engagement aligns with NOA’s Global Reputation Management Campaign, a key institutionalisation policy for actualising the Nigerian National Values Charter and projecting a positive image of Nigeria internationally.
