By ABDULKABIR MUHAMMED

Across Nigerian universities, a new generation of student innovators is raising millions of naira and transforming ideas into viable global startups through the Hult Prize, a global social entrepreneurship challenge known as the “Nobel Prize for Students.”

Each year, the competition engages thousands of university students worldwide to build solutions tackling pressing global issues from healthcare and education to sustainability. In Nigeria, the initiative has become a quiet but powerful engine for youth-led innovation, providing students not just with funding opportunities but with mentorship, exposure, and practical business experience.

Over the past few years, Hult Prize Nigeria has supported more than 100 student-led startups from universities across the country, helping them test their ideas on a global stage. One such team, Apex HealthTech from the University of Ilorin, represented Nigeria at the regional round in Kenya in 2024.

According to Habeeb Olawale, co-founder of Apex HealthTech, the experience was both transformational and humbling.

“We’ve raised about N3.9 million in prizes and grants, but more importantly, we’ve gained mentorship, access to accelerator programs, and networks that changed our understanding of what’s possible,” he said.

“Initially, I underestimated the scale of competition. Hult Prize attracts postgraduate students and established teams who’ve been building for years. It taught me that success depends on preparation, clarity, and strategic execution.”

He added that the greatest lesson wasn’t just about innovation but communication. “Execution isn’t just having a great idea, it’s showing people why your solution can work in the real world.”

Another startup, Zero Zone, also reflects the evolving maturity of Nigerian student entrepreneurship. Its co-founder, Divine Afam, admitted that early challenges included poor product definition and limited marketing.

“We realized too late that clarity and visibility matter as much as innovation,” he said. “You can build something meaningful, but if people don’t know it exists, it won’t grow. Our biggest takeaway was learning to start small but start right.”

Beyond competition, Hult Prize Nigeria’s growing network of young founders signals a shift in how Nigerian students approach entrepreneurship from theoretical learning to real-world problem solving.

National Coordinator of Hult Prize Nigeria, Olamide Otasanya, said the movement is reshaping student innovation across campuses

“What we’re seeing is a generation of Nigerian students who are no longer waiting to graduate before building solutions,” He said. “They are learning to test, iterate, and compete globally while still in school.

He emphasized that “Hult Prize gives them the structure and confidence to translate classroom ideas into ventures that can stand on an international stage.”

As the next competition cycle begins, Hult Prize Nigeria’s impact continues to ripple beyond campuses, building not just startups, but a community of young Nigerians redefining what’s possible in entrepreneurship.