The Nigeria Innovation Summit 9.0, held on October 2nd, 2024, under the theme “Building a Culture of Innovation,” successfully concluded with participation from delegates and stakeholders worldwide in a hybrid format.

Now in its ninth year, this annual event unites stakeholders from various sectors of Nigeria’s economy, including government officials, investors, policymakers, and members of the tech and innovation community. The summit serves as a platform to discuss innovative ideas, emerging trends, and opportunities aimed at addressing unique challenges faced in Nigeria and across the African continent.

This year’s summit covered a range of topics, including A Paradoxical Approach to Collaborative Innovation, Unique Opportunities for the Next Generation of Women in Tech, Empowering Nigerian Youths through the Digital Economy, Youth-Led Innovations for a Sustainable Future, and Connecting Africa with the World Through ISPIM, among others.

A key highlight of the event was the Nigeria Innovations Experience Talks (NiX Talks), sponsored by TotalEnergies, which centered on “Cultivating Sustainable Innovation Through Eco-Friendly Solutions.”

Additional features of the summit included fireside chats, panel discussions, interactive sessions, a Quick Pitch (Pitch-a-Thon), innovation showcases, exhibitions, and expert insights on emerging technologies and their potential to address local challenges.

Notable speakers and panelists included Dr. Aminu Maida, EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Ifedolapo Runsewe, Managing Director of FREEE Recycle; Bruno Woeran from TechTransfer & Innovation, Austria; Wofai Ibie, Community Manager at HEI Innovation, CcHUB; Stella Bida, Executive Leadership Consultant and TEDx Speaker; Dozie Igweilo, Founder of Quadloop; Dr. Folakemi Fadahunsi, CEO of Retail Supermarkets Nigeria (Shoprite); among others.

The summit culminated in the 2024 Nigeria Innovation Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to innovation in the country.

The Nigeria Innovation Awards celebrate and honor prominent innovators who are leading the charge in the Nigerian innovation sector, as well as those disruptors who are making significant, positive contributions and providing progressive solutions to distinct challenges.

The entries for the 2024 NIS Awards highlight the urgent need to cultivate innovative business solutions and foster an ecosystem across various sectors in Nigeria. This initiative aims to drive innovation by encouraging the development of local content and technology solutions that can substantially influence the socio-economic advancement of Nigeria, enabling local innovations to address local challenges.

Among the numerous nominations for the Nigerian Innovation Awards 2024, only six organizations were recognized as deserving recipients of this year’s honors. Their remarkable achievements in creatively addressing issues and demonstrating measurable impacts have been vital in sustaining the Nigerian innovation landscape, showcasing their commitment to advancing Nigeria through their initiatives.

The 2024 Nigeria Innovation Awards recipients include NASENI for its role in Enabling Innovative Industrialization in Nigeria; MobiHealth for its Innovative Telehealth Solutions; FREEE Recycle for transforming waste into reusable eco-friendly materials; ThriveAgric for empowering farmers with Agritech solutions; Paradigm Initiatives for connecting African youth with digital opportunities; and WEMA Bank ALAT for pioneering a fully digital banking experience in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Innovation Summit 9.0 featured participation from delegates representing government agencies, diplomats, academic institutions, research organizations, international bodies, investors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, innovators, startups, and students.

The 2024 NIS concluded with an Innovation Tour to Cisco EDGE Lab, where delegates engaged in deeper discussions and strengthened relationships with those driving genuine innovation and disruption within the Nigerian innovation ecosystem.

This year's Summit garnered significant backing from several key organizations, including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM), CcHUB, Emergency Response Africa, Lagos State Employment Trust Funds (LSETF), Virtual Domain, and Cybertron. It was proudly sponsored by TotalEnergies, WEMA Bank, and the African Innovation Academy.

Additionally, the event featured a range of official media partners such as Legit.ng, Brand Times, Techeconomy.ng, ITPulse, RaveNewsOnline, TechCity, Coinratecap, Technext, Innovation Village, Nigeria Communications Week, Techtrends Africa, Silicon Africa, BrandMyDP, Coinpedia, CoinGabbar, Naijapreneur.com, among others.

The Nigeria Innovation Summit was organized by InnovationHub Africa.