The President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Prof. Peter Onwualu, says plans are underway to support winners of the AfricaX Summit pitch sessions in commercialising their innovations and bringing them to market.
Onwualu disclosed this on Wednesday night in Abuja at the awards and dinner marking the end of the three-day 2026 Innovation and Investment (AfricaX) Summit.
The summit was themed: “Reshaping the Future of Africa through Innovation, Investment, and Collaboration.”
He explained that the summit represents the first phase in a broader strategy aimed at nurturing innovation across the continent.
According to him, the next phase will involve working closely with winners to further develop their ideas, many of which already exist as minimum viable products.
“The summit is only step one in a chain of activities we have lined up. During the summit, we held pitch sessions and presented awards to winners.
“The next stage is to link these innovators with venture capital firms, government agencies, and development banks we are already engaging with. This will provide them with access to finance and help them take their products to market,” he said.
Speaking on the theme of the summit, Onwualu noted that it was designed to inspire a new generation of African innovators focused on solving real-life challenges.
“The goal is to encourage the next generation of innovators in Africa to develop solutions across key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing,” he added.
On measures to ensure that innovations move beyond theory, he revealed plans to establish a digital platform to connect innovators with potential investors and industry players.
“We are creating a web portal where these innovations will be showcased. The same platform will also host investors, entrepreneurs, and industrialists.
“This will enable matchmaking between innovators and investors, leading to funding opportunities and eventual market entry for these products,” he said.
He added that the long-term objective is to ensure a steady pipeline of market-ready innovations emerging from Africa annually.
“Our target is that every year, a number of innovations from across Africa will successfully enter the market,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs Chinwe Okoli, Special Adviser to the Anambra State Governor on Innovation and Business Incubation, reiterated the state government’s commitment to empowering young people through innovation.
Okoli said the initiative would unlock economic opportunities and drive sustainable growth.
She noted that the state government is expanding access to digital training by supporting innovation hubs across communities in partnership with private organisations and institutions.
According to her, the training programmes—offered free of charge—are designed to equip residents with skills for global competitiveness and entrepreneurship.
