The federal government has pledged to bridge the gap between local innovation and commercial success by supporting inventors, start-ups, and small-scale manufacturers nationwide.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made the pledge during a visit to Innov8 Hub in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Alausa reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for innovation, noting that the government would continue to invest in human capital and entrepreneurial development to secure Nigeria’s future.

He noted that although Nigerians rank among the most creative and talented people globally, many struggle to transform ideas into market-ready products.

The minister said the government had concluded plans to establish a National Design and Development Agency to help innovators in refining their concepts, securing funding, and accessing markets.

“There are so many innovative Nigerians. Our job as the government is to meet you halfway and give you the opportunity you need to unleash that potential.

“We want to move ideas from the bank of concepts to the market,” he said.

Mr Alausa said the new agency would provide a platform for community-informed financing, enabling innovators to submit their ideas for support.

While acknowledging that only a fraction of innovation projects succeed commercially, he stressed that even five to 10 per cent of viable ideas could transform millions of lives.

“Five to ten per cent of ideas, when brought to life, can change millions of lives. What you’re doing here is even more important; you’re focusing on real-life solutions we urgently need,” he said.

The minister also advised innovators to patent their products, stressing the importance of intellectual property and market readiness.

“You need to aggressively move these products to the market; there are unlimited opportunities in Nigeria waiting to be tapped,” he added.

He commended Innov8 Hub for its work in agricultural processing and small-scale manufacturing and urged stronger collaboration between innovators, manufacturers, and financiers to ensure broader market access.

Earlier, during a presentation, Deji Ige, deputy general manager at Innov8 Hub, said the hub had marked five years of reshaping Nigeria’s innovation landscape.

He said the organisation had expanded to 15 departments and created 7,000 jobs nationwide.

Mr Ige added that with an initial team of 100 employees, the hub had incubated numerous start-ups, four of which are currently housed at its facility and are expected to generate further employment opportunities.

(NAN)