Building on unprecedented momentum from 2025, the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) has unveiled the NEXTGEN Innovation Challenge 2026, a national competition designed to entrench Nigeria as Africa's innovation powerhouse through strategic focus on artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced semiconductors .
The announcement comes on the heels of remarkable achievements: in its first year under Director-General Dr. Kazeem Kolawole Raji, NBTI helped Nigerian innovators attract £1.5 million in foreign investment, with clean-energy startup Interface Africa alone securing £1.5 million for its solution . The 2025 edition received over 3,000 applications nationwide, with 105 innovators showcasing their solutions at a grand finale in London, generating over 200 million global media engagements and earning recognition from Innovate UK and a BBC documentary feature .
Dr. Raji, speaking at a press conference marking his first anniversary in office, revealed that NEXTGEN 2026 will prioritize high-impact, future-defining innovation sectors including Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Advanced Semiconductors and Digital Infrastructure, Telecommunications with 6G and AI integration, Green and Renewable Energy, Climate Resilience and Flood Detection, and Women in Tech and Gender-Inclusive Innovation .
The initiative has achieved formal adoption by the Commonwealth for rollout across its 56 member countries, positioning NextGen not merely as a standalone competition but as Commonwealth-backed innovation infrastructure designed to convert ideas into scalable ventures . Additionally, Innovate UK has agreed to admit 20 outstanding Nigerian innovators into its ecosystem on a fully funded basis for the 2026 edition .
Dr. Raji emphasized the strategic importance of the challenge: "The overarching strategic goals for NEXTGEN 2026 are to mobilize significant capital and Foreign Direct Investment for Nigeria and emerging-market innovators, position Nigeria and partner countries as credible sources of global innovations, strengthen international innovation diplomacy, and move innovators from prototype to market, not just pitch stages" .
The 2026 edition will feature boot camps in Abuja culminating in a grand finale in London, with mechanisms in place to ensure participation from innovators across Nigeria's 774 local government areas . This initiative complements broader government efforts, including the $617 million iDICE programme supporting technology and creative sector startups, signaling a coordinated national push toward technology-driven economic transformation .
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