Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, has linked Africa’s growth and development to creative solutions arising from the ivory towers.

Speaking at the Nithub Innovation Fair 2026 held on the campus, she, however, said the prospect is highly dependent on Nigeria becoming more of a knowledge producer than a consumer.

She said: “Africa’s rising will begin in a lot of our universities. So, we must rise up to that challenge so that we are not just consumers.

“We are determined that Unilag will be a platform for innovation and enterprise. We are making a specific promise. Bring your idea here, and this institution will supply what that idea needs to become real.”

She recalled that when the Federal Government launched the student venture capital grant scheme, more than 30,000 applications flooded in. Forty-five innovators were selected. Eight of them came from Unilag, attracting N50 million into ventures founded by old students.

Describing Nithub as a technology innovation hub established in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the don highlighted three pillars of the hub: talent development, product innovation, and start-up incubation and acceleration.

She added: “We are also building the ecosystem so that there are many hubs around the campus. The answer to the exodus of talent is not to build fences but to build reasons to stay and reasons to return. A graduate who leaves will come back as an investor, partner or mentor.

“Our task is to make this platform so fertile that building here becomes the ambitious choice. Through our entrepreneurship, innovation and business incubation certification programme, every fresh student who enters this university is now going to be exposed to entrepreneurial thinking from the first year.

“We also have an innovation and technology management office that protects and manages the Intellectual Property arising from our research. I urge you to develop products and commercialise them. This university will continue to reward and protect innovation.”

In his speech, Director, Nithub, and convener, Nithub Innovation Fair 2026, Prof. Victor Odumuyiwa, disclosed that the hub has trained 20,000 and developed 15 new products and services with over 100 startups.