Stakeholders Seek Increased Support for Tech Innovators in Nigeria
Oluchi Chibuzor
Stakeholders in the investment sector of the economy have stated that lack of capital and coaching are still the major challenges hindering tech innovators on the continent.
Speaking at the World Product Day held in Lagos, Executive Director, Innovative Africa Foundation, Tina Mbachu, said coaching and capital are still the missing links critical for tech innovators to attain their full potential.
She advocated for stronger investment in grassroots innovation as there is an urgent need for stakeholders to support young entrepreneurs in developing context-driven solutions to scale those innovations globally.
Mbachu stressed that the broader purpose of World Product Day is more than a celebration of products, as it’s a movement for meaningful change and to spotlight young innovators, real people building real solutions to real problems.
She remarked that the mission of her foundation, Innovate Africa, is to empower the next generation of African changemakers.
“Today’s hackathon is not just about code. It’s about change. Our mission is simple but powerful—support young Africans to find problems in their communities, build local solutions, and scale those solutions across the continent,” she noted.
She addressed the difficulties many early-stage founders face in taking ideas from concept to impact, particularly due to a lack of knowledge and tools.
“A lot of founders have the idea, but they don’t have the tools. They don’t know how to test, validate, or even ask if they’re solving the right problem.“If you’re building a solution for a farmer in Jos, you can’t think like someone in Toronto. You have to think locally. Understand the people. Understand the constraints. That’s real innovation,” she emphasised.
To create real impact, Innovate Africa is driving regional initiatives that unite innovators, builders, and funders from across the continent.
“Our Inspire Africa Conference, now in Kigali, is one of many ways we gather Africa’s innovators, product builders, and investors to build a truly Pan-African ecosystem,” Mbachu explained.
She added that global partnerships are critical to raising the quality of African innovation. “Through our partnerships with global players like Silicon Valley Product Group, we bring top-tier coaching directly to African product teams—training them to build local, but think global,” she said.
Also speaking, the Head of Product at Moniepoint, Oluwole Adebiyi, stressed the need for product managers to look beyond their companies and learn from how others are building.
On his part, team lead and product demo participant, Anthonio Gabriel, introduced his team’s product, Aveum Markets, which aims to reduce post-harvest losses in perishable goods across Nigeria. He emphasized that solving such critical issues with scalable solutions is at the heart of their innovation.
