The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) says it has unlocked investment and development-finance pipeline exceeding $600 million through worldwide partnerships, together with a $500 million solar-energy partnership and a $100 million financing memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The Director-General of NBTI, Dr Kazeem Raji, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja throughout a information convention on the outcomes of the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026, which showcased 298 Nigerian innovators from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Raji mentioned the variety of innovators showcased elevated from 105 within the earlier 12 months to 298 in 2026.
NBTI outlines proposed financing preparations
Raji mentioned the proposed investment pipeline contains two worldwide preparations: a solar-energy partnership with Gigawatt Global to help Nigerian tertiary establishments and a financing MoU with Cambridge Investors.
- “The first component involves a proposed 500 million dollar solar-energy partnership with Gigawatt Global for Nigerian tertiary institutions,” he mentioned.
- “The second component features a 100 million dollar financing Memorandum of Understanding signed with Cambridge Investors,” he added.
According to Raji, the $100 million financing MoU is meant to help President Bola Tinubu’s Light Initiative, which targets one million micro and small companies nationwide.
NBTI highlights help for girls innovators
Raji mentioned worldwide help for the innovation ecosystem additionally consists of grants for girls innovators, overseas acceleration programmes and management scholarships.
- “Our message is straightforward: Nigeria’s innovators deserve visibility, our enterprises deserve opportunities to grow and our technologies deserve pathways to the marketplace,” he mentioned.
- “We are presenting a national innovation story, a portfolio of emerging investment, and a practical pathway towards economic prosperity,” Raji added.
He mentioned NBTI’s duty was to assist translate the alternatives and frameworks into bankable tasks with clear implementation and verifiable outcomes.
- “Our responsibility is to help move these opportunities from announcements and frameworks towards bankable projects, transparent implementation, and verifiable results,” he mentioned.
The NBTI director-general urged private-sector traders and improvement companions to deepen their engagement with Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem
The proposed investment pipeline comes amid broader authorities and private-sector efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, increase entry to financing and develop expertise expertise.
In July 2026, the Bank of Industry signed a $170.06 million fund-management settlement with Kuramo Capital Management under the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme to channel financing to startups and high-growth companies in Nigeria’s expertise and inventive sectors.
