Israel has announced secured funding for the fifth edition of the Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers, with the programme set to launch in October to empower and support Nigerian innovators.
Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, made the announcement on Saturday in Abuja at the closing ceremony and innovation showcase of the fourth iFAIR cohort.
The nine-month programme, jointly implemented by the Embassy of Israel in Nigeria, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and Innov8 Hub, provides mentorship, technical support and investment opportunities to help Nigerian researchers and early-stage entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.
Freeman described the iFAIR programme as a Nigerian-led initiative supported by Israeli expertise, rather than an export of Israeli solutions, stressing that the distinction was central to the programme’s philosophy and design.
“Today is a celebration of what is possible when Israel and Nigeria believe in each other. I am so proud to stand here today and announce that we have secured with our partners funding for iFAIR 5, and the fellowship will be launching in October,” he said.
“This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It’s been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators develop Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges, supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation,” Freeman said.
Addressing the graduating participants, he said: “The certificate you will receive soon is not your greatest achievement. Your greatest achievement was having the courage to take an idea and turn it into something real. Nigeria, Africa and the world need innovators like you.”
TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, said the iFAIR initiative directly addresses one of Nigeria’s most persistent innovation challenges: the failure to translate academic research into commercially viable products and businesses.
“The main problem we are solving is how to commercialise university research results and inventions, bridging the gap between academia, government and the productive industrial sector,” he said.
Echono said TETFund is currently establishing innovation centres across more than 60 tertiary institutions nationwide to give students and researchers the infrastructure needed to develop solutions while still in school.
“As I speak, TETFund is providing facilities and establishing innovation centres across over 60 tertiary institutions so that students, while still in school, can find solutions to global and national challenges,” he said.
The announcement comes at a time when Nigeria is intensifying efforts to build domestic innovation infrastructure through various initiatives.
Last month, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) teamed up with TikTok to establish a Digital Commerce Lab for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos, supported by a $20,000 pilot “Train-the-Trainer” programme.
NITDA said the partnership is designed to expand digital skills training to entrepreneurs in remote and underserved communities across Nigeria, helping more businesses participate in the digital economy.
