World Product Day: Lagos Edition To Amplify Conversation Around Locally Built Solution

Oluchi Chibuzor

The organiser of World Product Day scheduled to hold on 21st May, 2025, has said that the Lagos edition of the celebration would help amplify conversations around product innovation, African talent, and the global relevance of locally built solutions.

Speaking at a virtual press conference with journalists recently, the Fund Operations Lead, Innovate Africa Fund, Chiebuka Obumselu, said that World Product Day is part of a global movement that celebrates the power of product management and innovation.

Obumselu, noted that this year’s Lagos edition is not just a celebration, it’s a statement that Africa is building, shipping, and scaling globally relevant products.

According to her; What World Product Day represents a platform for builders, showcasing Africa’s leading and emerging product minds.

She also stated that the event will be a convergence point for investors, tech founders, product leaders, and innovation enablers and placing African product innovation in conversation at global stage.

“The campaign is designed to drive public buzz, engage stakeholders, and amplify conversations around product innovation, African talent, and the global relevance of locally built solutions. So what we hope to do with World Product Day is equip product professionals with the right tools to approach problem solving so that they can build scalable and impactful solutions that will address some of our most pressing challenges.

“We know that local innovators will be present on World Product Day and will be able to showcase their solutions, talk about their approach to the problems, peer network, exchange ideas with others and sort of leave with a better insight into how to approach the problems that they are solving. So we do intend to address innovation both at a local and grassroots scale. And it’s our hope that at the end of the day, those grassroots innovators who attend will leave with the right tools to continue solving the problems that they’re addressing,” she said.

Commenting on Why World Product Day Lagos, she acknowledged that Africa’s tech sector is maturing rapidly—but the single biggest gap we continue to see is in product execution.

She said that most tech events speak to founders, adding that World Product Day Lagos is speaking to the full product team—from the designer to the researcher to the product ops lead.

According to her, “World Product Day Lagos was born from a simple but important insight: Ideas aren’t enough. It’s how you build that matters. While other events celebrate funding rounds and visibility, this one is about craft—what it takes to build better, more inclusive, and scalable products on the continent.

“This isn’t a talk shop—it’s a practical, hands-on event. We’re not just listening to panels, running workshops or testing solutions but we’re hiring talent. From curated workshops on customer discovery and problem-framing, to live product sprints and a prototype showcase—this is a space for people building in real time.

“The truth is, many African startups fail not because the idea was wrong—but because the execution was weak. We’re creating a space where execution is celebrated. Where product rigour is the norm, not the afterthought.

“Our goal is that every attendee leaves with a better understanding of their users, a clearer path to product-market fit, or a new team member to help them get there. Product thinking is what turns innovation into impact. This event is about giving people the tools to do that—properly, locally, and at scale.

“Africa doesn’t just need more startups. We need stronger products that actually solve real, local problems at scale. By focusing on practical product education, this event helps ensure that innovation in Africa isn’t just hype—it’s sustainable and grounded in real user needs. Product is the silent engine of successful companies. This event helps African builders master that engine.”