The director-general of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Kazeem Raji, says Nigeria’s target of building a one-trillion-dollar economy relies on commercialising indigenous research and driving local enterprises into global markets.

Mr Raji stated this in a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Abuja.

He spoke while detailing the outcome of the 2026 NextGen Innovation Challenge grand finale in London, where 298 Nigerian innovators from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were showcased to global investors.

According to him, sustainable national prosperity cannot be achieved through government expenditure or natural resources alone, but also requires private enterprise, technology exports and intellectual property creation.

“A one-trillion-dollar economy cannot be built by government alone.

“It must be built by Nigerians who innovate, manufacture, invest, create intellectual property, build enterprises, and compete successfully in global markets,” Mr Raji said.

He said the number of participating local innovators had increased from 105 in the previous edition to 298 in 2026, reflecting a growing push to move indigenous research from prototypes to marketable enterprises.

He added that the ultimate benchmark for the showcase would be measured by the investments secured, businesses established and jobs created for young Nigerians.

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Aminu Dalhatu, represented by Abu Eche, noted that modern diplomacy must actively connect local researchers with global capital.

Mr Dalhatu commended the partnership between NBTI and UK Africa Leadership and Development (UKALD), proposing that the NextGen platform be extended to other Commonwealth nations to widen market access for Nigerian startups.

“Diplomacy today must go beyond governments speaking to governments; it must connect businesses to markets, innovators to investors, and Nigerian opportunities to global capital,” he said.

Mukhtar Muhammad, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, pledged increased support from the ministry, proposing that state governments establish localised screening frameworks to feed into future global showcases.

“If you identify a problem in society and develop a workable solution, you are making a greater impact than someone pursuing multiple academic degrees without commercial output,” Mr Muhammad said.

In his remarks, Tunde Doherty, executive director of UKALD and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the UK, urged foreign investors to view Nigeria as an emerging technology hub with products ready to be scaled up.

Also, Erin Grover, an international investor, commended the quality of the showcases, expressing an intention to fund female-led startups participating in the exhibition.

 (NAN)