Innovation Support Network unveils 2027 roadmap, aims to create 10,000 jobs, secure $3m funding

The Innovation Support Network (ISN) has announced a strategic plan to create over 10,000 jobs, scale 120 innovative businesses, and secure $3 million in follow-on funding for Nigerian startups by the fourth quarter of 2027.

The ambitious roadmap was detailed at ISN’s Lagos Hubs Meetup, where stakeholders convened to discuss the future of the nation’s innovation ecosystem.

ISN Chairman, Hanson Johnson, outlined the network’s vision to build a globally competitive and investment-ready ecosystem.

“Our hubs are no longer just physical spaces; they are the engines driving economic resilience and technological advancement across the country,” Johnson said.

He emphasized that the 2027 Strategic Roadmap is designed to fundamentally transform how innovation hubs operate in Nigeria.

The plan is structured around five key pillars, with a strong focus on scaling entrepreneurship and developing talent.

ISN commits to providing 120 businesses with resources to advance from ideation to market leadership. Concurrently, the network aims to train 30,000 Nigerians in digital skills and successfully link 10,000 of them to employment opportunities.

To power these ambitions, Johnson stated that ISN is working to secure at least N300 million in dedicated funding for its core programmes, highlighting the scale of investment required.

Several foundational initiatives are being launched to support these goals. These include the publication of the Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report, a comprehensive study of over 190 hubs across the country supported by GIZ and co-funded by the European Union. The report analyzes challenges such as limited infrastructure and funding gaps to provide a data-driven basis for policy and investment.

Complementing this, ISN is piloting an Audit and Certification Framework for Innovation Support Organisations, also backed by GIZ and the EU. This framework introduces a tiered certification system—Foundational, Standard, and Advanced—to assess the maturity and impact of support organisations, aiming to address ecosystem fragmentation and uneven quality.

Looking ahead, ISN will host a Deal Room at The Omniverse Africa Summit in February 2026, designed to facilitate funding access for early-stage entrepreneurs.

During a feedback session, members called for enhanced visibility and improved impact evaluation. Dr. Itoro Emembolu of TechQuest STEM Academy commended ISN’s collaborative work but stressed the need for a robust member directory to showcase activities and foster synergies.

This sentiment was echoed by ISN’s Director of Partnership, Dr. Samuel Jackson, who urged members to leverage the network’s platforms fully. Other stakeholders, including Martin Eneh of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Angela Peters of Kininso Koncepts, advocated for deeper government collaboration and stronger evaluation frameworks to build credibility and trust with investors.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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