By Gloria Josiah
Global investors are set to engage with Nigerian innovators at the grand finale of the NEXTGEN Innovation Challenge 2026, scheduled to hold in October 2026 at ExCeL London in the United Kingdom.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, unveiled the initiative at a world press conference in Abuja, describing it as a strategic platform designed to accelerate technology-driven entrepreneurship and attract global investment into Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Dr. Raji said NEXTGEN 2026 is structured to connect Nigerian innovators with international investors, development finance institutions, governments, multilateral agencies and private sector partners.
According to him, the grand finale in London will serve as a global showcase where promising Nigerian startups will pitch their solutions, secure partnerships and access structured capital.
He emphasised that the initiative is not merely a competition but a national development catalyst and a global innovation diplomacy platform aimed at moving innovators “from laboratories to livelihoods, from prototypes to products, and from ideas to commercial success.”
Raji commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his administration’s economic reforms and “Nigeria First Policy,” noting that innovation has been repositioned as a key pillar of national development.
He said the President’s belief that innovation is the new oil has redefined Nigeria’s development architecture and placed the country firmly on the path toward a knowledge-driven economy powered by intellectual capital and technological advancement.
Organised by NBTI in partnership with UK-based consultancy firm UKALD, the programme will begin with innovation boot camps in Abuja before culminating in the London grand finale.
In addition, international editions will be held in Doha, Qatar, targeting Middle East investors and sovereign wealth funds, while London will serve as the flagship global investment showcase.
The NEXTGEN Innovation Challenge 2026 will prioritise high-impact sectors including artificial intelligence and robotics, advanced semiconductors, telecommunications with 6G and AI integration, green and renewable energy, climate resilience and flood detection systems, agri-tech, health-tech, edu-tech, women in tech and gender-inclusive innovation, as well as virtual reality and 3D manufacturing.
Dr. Raji noted that these focus areas align with Nigeria’s national development priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
NBTI also disclosed that the initiative will deepen collaboration with global institutions such as the Cambridge Centre of Alternative Finance, and the Commonwealth Investment Network to unlock climate finance, attract Foreign Direct Investment and scale environmentally sustainable innovations.
Describing NEXTGEN as a matured global platform, Raji said it is designed to scale ideas, unlock capital and deliver measurable economic impact.
He urged Nigerian universities to prioritise research commercialisation, encouraged investors to provide structured capital to startups, and challenged young Nigerians to see their ideas as national assets capable of transforming the country’s economic future.