The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON today officially launched the Energise Commercialisation Now (ECoN) initiative in Kano, declaring it a bold national movement to convert Nigeria’s vast innovation potential into tangible economic prosperity.
Expressing her delight at returning to Kano—a city she fondly recalled from her National Youth Service days and described as a land of vast opportunities—the First Lady applauded the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN for conceptualising ECoN.
She urged sustained collaboration between the Ministry and North-West Governors to ensure long-term impact, noting that despite prevailing challenges, Nigerian innovations continue to stand tall globally. She emphasized the urgent need to create an enabling environment for innovation to thrive and compete internationally.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Governor of Kano State, His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf, described ECoN as a strategic intervention to break the long-standing disconnect between research, innovation, and the marketplace. He noted that the initiative will ensure that ideas generated in universities, research institutions, and innovation hubs are no longer abandoned on shelves but transformed into viable market products.
The Governor added that the presence of the First Lady is a powerful affirmation of the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to transform Nigeria from a nation of ideas into a nation of industries.
The Minister, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN in his address, described ECoN as a transformative national platform designed to bridge the long-standing gap between research and real economic value. He stated that for decades, Nigeria’s innovations remained largely confined to laboratories, with limited access to markets and financing. ECoN, he explained, is the government’s decisive response—engineered to move ideas from concept to capital, and from prototype to prosperity.
Udeh further revealed that ECoN will be deployed across all geopolitical zones as an integrated national ecosystem, fostering inter-state collaboration, healthy competition, and shared ownership of innovation outcomes. The programme features investor-ready pitching sessions, real-time deal rooms for innovators and investors, and a forthcoming National Deal Room that will connect Nigeria’s best innovations to global capital.
Highlighting early traction, the Minister disclosed that over 1,000 innovation entries have already been received within weeks, with promising investment commitments underway—signaling strong momentum toward job creation, industrial growth, and Nigeria’s ambition of achieving a $1 trillion economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR.
Also speaking, the Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, on behalf of the North-West Governors’ Forum, commended the Minister’s bold initiative, describing ECoN as a strategic pathway to unlock economic growth, drive job creation, and strengthen Nigeria’s innovation-driven economy.
FMIST reaffirmed that ECoN will be backed by a digital commercialisation platform and a proposed National Research and Innovation Fund to ensure sustainability, transparency, and global competitiveness.
The event marks a defining moment in Nigeria’s development trajectory—signaling a decisive shift from innovation potential to innovation prosperity.