The Commonwealth of Nations has formally adopted Nigeria’s NextGen Innovation Challenge for rollout across its 56 member countries, marking a major milestone in the global recognition of Nigerian innovation and homegrown technological solutions.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Technology Incubation, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, disclosed this at a World Press Conference held in Abuja to mark one year of his leadership at the agency.
Dr Raji described the development as a strong validation of Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and a clear indication that indigenous ideas can compete globally when properly supported with policy backing, institutional structure and access to capital.
According to him, the NextGen Innovation Challenge, which held its grand finale in London in October 2025, attracted over 3,000 applications nationwide, with 105 Nigerian innovators selected and showcased on a global stage before international investors, policymakers and technology partners.
He said the programme directly facilitated £1.5 million in clean energy investment secured by Interface Africa, alongside additional funding commitments ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 extended to other participating innovators across multiple sectors.
Dr Raji further announced that following the London showcase, Innovate UK has agreed to admit 20 outstanding Nigerian innovators into its 2026 ecosystem on a fully funded basis, positioning them for advanced mentorship, commercialisation support and access to global funding pipelines.
He added that the NextGen model will debut in Barbados and Antigua in 2026, transitioning from a one-off competition into a Commonwealth-backed innovation infrastructure designed for long-term sustainability and cross-border collaboration.
On institutional reforms, Dr Raji said NBTI has secured a statutory allocation of four percent of the National Development Levy under the Tax Reform Acts 2025, describing it as the first structured funding framework in the agency’s history.
He also unveiled NBTI Global NATImart, a digitally designed marketplace aimed at connecting Made-in-Nigeria products and innovations to international buyers, with projections of facilitating up to $1–5 billion in annual transaction volumes when fully operational.
The NBTI Director-General stated that the agency has expanded strategic partnerships across the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Germany, China, Qatar and other countries, opening new pathways for funding, mentorship, intellectual property protection and market access for Nigerian innovators.
Dr Raji reaffirmed NBTI’s commitment to driving innovation-led industrialisation, job creation and economic diversification across Nigeria.
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