The Federal Government has disclosed that it has concluded plans to establish a National Design and Development Agency to help innovators refine their concepts, secure funding, and access markets.
The initiative was revealed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during a visit to Innov8 Hub in Abuja on Monday, July 14, 2025.
The proposed agency will serve as a bridge between local innovation and commercial success by helping entrepreneurs refine their ideas, secure funding, and access markets across Nigeria and beyond.
Dr. Alausa emphasized that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to creating an enabling environment for innovation through investments in human capital and entrepreneurship.
“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.
According to the Minister, the new agency will offer a platform for community-informed financing where innovators can submit their concepts for support, transforming Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
Innovators urged to pursue market readiness
While addressing challenges faced by Nigerian startups, Alausa pointed out that a significant number of ideas never reach commercial success due to a lack of support and market readiness.
He encouraged inventors to patent their products and focus on taking their innovations to market.
“You need to aggressively move these products to the market; there are unlimited opportunities in Nigeria waiting to be tapped.”
He further stated that even a small portion of successful ideas could have a massive impact on society.
“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.
Commendation for Innov8 Hub
The Minister praised Innov8 Hub, a centre that supports Nigerian inventors, researchers, and entrepreneurs by helping them turn ideas into market-ready products through training, prototyping, and startup incubation.
He noted its achievements in agricultural processing and small-scale manufacturing, and encouraged deeper collaboration between innovators, manufacturers, and financiers to unlock broader market access.
Dr. Deji Ige, Deputy General Manager at Innov8 Hub, presented an overview of the organisation’s milestones. He revealed that the hub has expanded to 15 departments over five years, incubated several start-ups, and created 7,000 jobs nationwide.
Dr. Ige added that the hub, which began with 100 employees, currently houses four start-ups within its facility that are expected to generate further employment.
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