General News
Nigerian Startups Win International Recognition At SEE Pakistan 2026
By Iyojo Ameh, Abuja
Nigerian entrepreneurs supported by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) have won international recognition at the SEE Pakistan 2026 World Startup Championship in Lahore, Pakistan.
The Nigerian team secured two awards at the global innovation event, including the Country Award in the Growth and Innovation Category and an individual award for Best Skincare and Beauty Products, won by Zara of Nature’s Sleek Limited, a venture supported by the Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Minna, Niger State.
The championship, organised by the OIC-COMSTECH in collaboration with the Association of Private Sector Universities Pakistan (APSUP), attracted more than 4,000 applications from over 40 countries, according to Team Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the participating entrepreneurs, Mr Ndotehyin Kingsley Ekanem, developer of a medical oxygen generator, said the Nigerian innovators benefited from training and certification programmes provided through NBTI’s Technology Incubation Programme.
He said the training, which included ISO 9001:2024, project management, export preparedness and corporate marketing, helped prepare the entrepreneurs for the international competition.
According to Ekanem, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, and the NBTI Director-General, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, had on June 10, 2026, invited NBTI centres to nominate entrepreneurs for the championship.
He said the Nigerian entrepreneurs underwent a boot camp on arrival in Pakistan, where they participated in business-to-business and business-to-consumer engagements before the finals.
At the championship, participating countries were given exhibition booths to showcase their products and engage venture capitalists, angel investors and potential business partners.
Ekanem said the Nigerian pavilion attracted significant attention from visitors and investors, adding that the team used the opportunity to showcase locally developed products and demonstrate the potential of Nigerian businesses in the international market.
The individual award winner, Zara of Nature’s Sleek Limited, was promised financial support of 100,000 Pakistani rupees, equivalent to about ₦490,000, according to the entrepreneurs.
Reacting to the achievement, the NBTI Director-General, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, described the performance as evidence of the capacity of Nigerian innovators to compete on the global stage.
The entrepreneurs
Raji said the feat demonstrated the importance of sustained incubation, mentorship, product development and commercialisation in transforming innovative ideas into viable businesses.
He also commended NBTI staff, particularly centre managers, technical officers, mentors and support teams, for their contribution to developing entrepreneurs across the country.
The Director-General said NBTI would continue to strengthen Nigeria’s technology incubation ecosystem and create opportunities for innovators to access international markets, investors, mentors and strategic partners.
The entrepreneurs, however, appealed to the Federal Government to provide financial and infrastructural support to enable them commercialise their innovations on a larger scale.
They also requested that the Minister facilitate their presentation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for national recognition, similar to the recognition accorded Nigerian sports ambassadors.
The team further appealed for NBTI and Federal Government assistance in engaging state governments to provide facilities and infrastructure that would enable the participating entrepreneurs establish permanent production facilities, expand their businesses and create jobs.
They also requested logistics support of ₦6.83 million per participant, citing additional expenses arising from extended accommodation, local transportation, feeding requirements and flight-related logistics during the trip.
The entrepreneurs said their participation in SEE Pakistan 2026 had strengthened their confidence in the potential of Nigerian innovation and pledged to continue developing solutions capable of addressing societal challenges while contributing to economic growth.
The NBTI said the achievement was a further encouragement to innovators being nurtured across its Technology Incubation Centres and reaffirmed its commitment to building stronger links between Nigerian enterprises and the global marketplace.