LAGOS — Innovate Africa, a product-focused angel fund, announced Monday it will host the Lagos edition of World Product Day 2025 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at The Strong Tower Hall in Lagos. The event will showcase prototype solutions addressing some of Africa’s most complex challenges, developed during a continent-wide initiative.
World Product Day is a global event by Mind the Product, celebrated in over 100 cities. Curated by Innovate Africa for Lagos, the one-day conference aims to connect product builders, engineers, founders, and enterprise teams through discussions, learning opportunities, and talent engagement.
The initiative, themed “Bold Builders Wanted,” began in March with an open Ideathon that gathered problem identifications from across Africa. Innovate Africa narrowed these down to 12 “wicked problems” in areas such as healthcare, climate resilience, digital infrastructure, consumer protection, and public services. In April, multidisciplinary teams worked through structured sprints to develop prototypes for these challenges. The top five teams will present their solutions live in Lagos for a $2,000 grand prize and post-event support to help turn their ideas into viable ventures, potentially including incubation and mentoring.
The Lagos event is expected to draw up to 250 participants, including mid- to senior-level professionals, founders, hiring managers, and ecosystem leaders. Confirmed speakers include Mustapha Otaru, Chief Product Officer at Sterling Bank; Andrew Obuoforibo, Head of Product at 54 Collective; and Isma’il Shomala, Chief Product Officer at Go Money.
Event highlights will include a Product Career Fair to connect talent with African tech employers, hands-on workshops on customer discovery and product strategy, and discussions with product executives, including a session with Moniepoint.
Kristin H. Wilson, Managing Partner of Innovate Africa Fund, said the initiative aims to move beyond superficial solutions to Africa’s challenges by focusing on understanding the problems and empowering builders with empathy and context. “That’s really what World Product Day Lagos is about – a day to move lived experience into tested prototypes and to line up capital, expertise and networks that can carry the strongest ideas to product-market fit,” Wilson stated.
Launched in 2024, Innovate Africa Fund provides early-stage innovators with an average investment of $50,000 and comprehensive support, pairing founders with experts in finance, governance, and strategy. Founders also gain access to programs like the Product Leadership Accelerator and Silicon Valley Product Group Coaching Programs.
Product builders, engineers, founders, and enterprise teams can register to attend World Product Day Lagos 2025 at the provided link.
