The bilateral initiative provides mentorship and capital to Nigerian entrepreneurs while establishing innovation hubs across 60 local tertiary institutions
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Redação Portal ERP
Aug 25, 2026
T|Fonte:18px
2min read
The Israel government and the Nigerian Tertiary Education Trust Fund, a federal agency managing education tax collections for public academic institutions, will extend their joint innovation fellowship program into a fifth cohort starting in October 2026. The Israel-Nigeria Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers, known as I-FAIR, provides local entrepreneurs with technical assistance, funding and mentorship to commercialize early-stage technologies.
The bilateral agreement centers on matching Israeli technical expertise in cybersecurity, agriculture and water management with Nigerian startups operating in the clean energy, healthcare and circular economy sectors. The program connects academic researchers with investors and engineers to transition institutional research into viable commercial enterprises.
During the program’s closing ceremony in Abuja, Michael Freeman, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, confirmed that the government had secured funding to sustain the initiative later this year.
“This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It has always been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators create Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges, supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation,” Freeman said. “Israel brings experience in innovation, technology, agriculture, healthcare, cybersecurity, security and water management, while Nigeria brings extraordinary talent, creativity, entrepreneurship and one of the most dynamic young populations anywhere in the world.”
To support the commercialization pipeline, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund is building physical innovation hubs across 60 national academic institutions. The agency also introduced a dedicated Student Innovation Fund that provides up to ₦50 million in capital to students developing commercially viable technology businesses. The organization plans to host a National Research Fair to present these academic prototypes to financial institutions, investors and policymakers.
“The linkage between science, engineering, technology, innovation and the productive sector is essential for translating research and development outcomes into finished products that benefit society,” said Arc. Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
The commercialization efforts receive operational support from Innov8 Hub, a local incubation facility that has processed more than 3,000 regional researchers and entrepreneurs through its product development programs.
“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of brilliant minds. What we need are stronger pathways that enable ideas to become products, businesses and opportunities that improve lives,” said Tolulope Aina, Head of Programmes at Innov8 Hub.
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