Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, is set to champion a new Federal Government initiative aimed at identifying and commercialising locally developed inventions across the country.

The programme, tagged “Energise Commercialisation,” is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology designed to support innovators and transform promising ideas into viable businesses.

The Minister, Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, disclosed this during a visit to the First Lady at the State House, Abuja, where he formally unveiled her as the Champion of the Energise Commercialisation Programme.

According to the minister, the initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to reposition Nigeria from a technology-importing nation to a technology-innovating and exporting economy.

He explained that the programme would focus on discovering and supporting commercially viable inventions, particularly among youths and women, by providing platforms and institutional support needed to transform innovative ideas into sustainable enterprises.

Udeh said sensitisation for the programme had already commenced and would soon extend to all states of the federation.

“We will be going to schools at all levels and reaching communities across the country, including remote areas, to discover talented Nigerians with inventions and innovations that can be commercialised,” he said.

“We have the brains in this country, and government is committed to helping innovators realise their potential and achieve their goals.”

The minister stressed that Nigeria must position itself to benefit from the ongoing global technology revolution, noting that harnessing local ingenuity would strengthen the nation’s economic growth and global competitiveness.

He added that the nationwide rollout of the programme would be spearheaded by the First Lady, whose role as champion is expected to help mobilise support and participation across the country.

Busola Kukoyi, Senior Special Assistant on Media, office of the First Lady, in a statement issued Wednesday, explained that the initiative will prioritise grassroots innovation discovery, capacity building and commercialisation support, with the aim of turning promising local inventions into market-ready products and businesses.