This programme is a collaboration between Brunel University of London and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, aiming to foster entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation among Nigerian entrepreneurs. It is designed to empower students to develop sustainable businesses that can succeed in both local and international markets.

Programme overview 

The core of the programme is the Innovation Challenge “Building a Better Abuja!”, which invites Nigerians to explore their local environment, identify needs, and develop solutions using entrepreneurial skills. Participants will be encouraged to focus on science and technology-based products and services to address community challenges, such as improving urban infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, enhancing renewable energy use, and promoting sustainable tourism.

Key focus areas

Innovation in community development and entrepreneurship can be challenging due to limited access to resources, the need for local expertise, and the demand for sustainable, context-driven solutions. This programme, through a challenge-based learning approach, provides a unique opportunity to:

• Identify local challenges within Abuja and explore how students can develop innovative solutions to address these challenges
• Foster collaborative problem-solving between students and local community members, enabling collective development of solutions
• Encourage critical thinking and creativity in assessing community needs and proposing improvements through entrepreneurial ventures
• Build awareness of the potential for community-driven innovation to create a safer, fairer, greener, and more prosperous Abuja
• Offer valuable mentorship and support to students through monthly training sessions and ongoing feedback from experts
• Create viable community-focused solutions that could be transformed into real-world projects.
• Evaluate ideas through a Demo Day competition to showcase solutions and attract potential opportunities for future development

If you are an educator looking to get involved or a student interested in joining a team, please visit the submission page for more information and instructions or reach out to us for a conversation. 

 For more information, please contact Ashkan.Pakseresht@brunel.ac.uk