By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has unveiled the Tinubu Light Initiative, a nationwide renewable energy programme designed to provide affordable clean energy to one million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, in a move set to create more than 50,000 direct jobs and lower production costs for businesses nationwide.
The initiative was unveiled by the National Board for Technology Incubation on Thursday, 6 August,2026 during the National Showcase of the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026, held in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NBTI, Dr Kazeem Raji, said the programme was conceived to tackle one of the biggest constraints facing Nigerian businesses: high energy costs resulting from unreliable electricity supply and dependence on fossil fuel-powered generators.
“The Tinubu Light Initiative seeks to change this narrative. Through innovative financing models, strategic partnerships, renewable energy technologies and nationwide implementation, this initiative will provide affordable clean energy solutions to one million Nigerian MSMEs,” he said.
Painting a picture of the initiative’s potential impact, Raji said: “Imagine one million businesses operating with lower production costs. Imagine millions of entrepreneurs reinvesting their savings into business expansion. Imagine increased productivity across every sector of our economy. Imagine cleaner communities. Imagine stronger local industries. Imagine more competitive Nigerian products. Imagine thousands of new factories emerging because energy is no longer a barrier to growth. That is the future we are building today.”
He said the initiative would also encourage local assembly and production of renewable energy equipment, reduce carbon emissions, strengthen financial inclusion through digital financing platforms and expand economic opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs.
“This initiative goes beyond electrification. It is an industrial policy. It is an employment strategy. It is a poverty reduction programme. It is a climate action initiative. It is a national productivity agenda. Above all, it is a practical investment in the future prosperity of Nigeria,” he added.
Raji said the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the administration’s efforts to reposition innovation, science, technology and entrepreneurship as key drivers of sustainable economic development. “The Renewed Hope Agenda is increasingly becoming a practical roadmap for unlocking Nigeria’s immense economic potential through innovation, entrepreneurship and technology,” he said.
He also highlighted the impact of the NextGen Innovation Challenge, revealing that the 2026 edition attracted thousands of applications from innovators spanning renewable energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, healthcare, manufacturing, education, financial technology, climate technology and industrial engineering.
“This overwhelming participation demonstrates one undeniable reality: Nigeria is blessed with an abundance of innovative minds. Our challenge has never been a lack of ideas. Our challenge has been creating the right ecosystem to nurture those ideas into globally competitive enterprises,” he said.
He explained that the challenge had grown beyond a competition into a national platform connecting innovators with investors and supporting the commercialisation of indigenous technologies.
“Our vision was far greater. We set out to ignite a national movement, a movement that would discover hidden talents in every part of Nigeria, bridge the gap between research and industry, and restore confidence in the extraordinary ingenuity of Nigerians,” he said.
Reflecting on the inaugural 2025 edition, Raji disclosed that one participating innovator secured a 1.5 million pound investment commitment, while several agricultural innovations developed through the programme were already improving productivity and reducing post-harvest losses in Kaduna, Bauchi and other states.
“They are solving real problems. They are creating jobs. They are attracting investors. They are improving livelihoods. These are not prototypes gathering dust on shelves. These are practical solutions improving lives,” he said.
The NBTI chief said the agency would continue leveraging its network of Technology Incubation Centres nationwide to identify talent, mentor innovators, facilitate technology transfer and convert research outcomes into commercially viable products.
He also announced that the NextGen Innovation Challenge had secured the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat, paving the way for its expansion into a Commonwealth-wide initiative involving all 56 member nations.
