The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has joined global innovators and key stakeholders at the 2026 NextGen Innovation Challenge in London, showcasing Nigeria’s ingenuity and strengthening the country’s global innovation profile.
Held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, the event, organised by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), brought together 298 innovators to showcase groundbreaking ideas, technological advancements and creative solutions with the potential to drive economic growth and national development.
Addressing participants, the Director-General of NBTI, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, stressed the need to transform innovative ideas into viable, commercially successful businesses. He noted that innovation must extend beyond prototypes to deliver market-ready products capable of generating economic value.
Dr Raji also underscored the importance of collaboration among government institutions, private-sector organisations, universities and investors, describing such partnerships as critical to providing innovators with access to funding, technical expertise and international markets.
A major highlight of the event was an exhibition of Made-in-Nigeria products, featuring clothing, food items and other locally developed innovations. The exhibition provided an opportunity to present Nigerian creativity, entrepreneurship and locally driven solutions to an international audience.
The challenge spotlighted Nigeria’s growing innovation potential across critical sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, energy, manufacturing and emerging technologies. The participating innovators demonstrated how homegrown ideas and solutions could address societal challenges, stimulate enterprise and contribute to sustainable national development.
Beyond showcasing innovative products, the event emphasised the importance of connecting innovators with investors, manufacturers and strategic partners to accelerate product development and commercialisation, create jobs and strengthen economic growth.
The engagement aligns with NOA’s Global Reputation Management Campaign, a key institutionalisation policy designed to advance the Nigerian National Values Charter and project a positive image of Nigeria internationally.
Through engagements of this nature, Nigeria’s homegrown innovations and entrepreneurial strengths gain greater visibility on the global stage, reinforcing the country’s potential as a source of creative ideas, practical solutions and economic opportunities.
