Building Africa's Innovation Engine
DTC is a high-intensity, human-centred innovation engine designed to produce scalable, investable solutions for humanity's most universal development challenges.
22
Countries Reached
1,059
Applications Received
12
Finalist Teams
₦32M+
In Seed Funding
Our Mission
The Design Thinking Challenge is the heart of African innovation — the ultimate convergence point where the world's boldest innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers come together to prototype, fund, and launch global solutions to major challenges in energy, healthcare, and agriculture.
Our Vision
A world where every systemic challenge — no matter how complex — is met with a human-centred solution designed, built, and scaled by the communities it serves. We envision a future where African innovation leads the global conversation on sustainable development.
Core Philosophy
"Real solutions to real problems faced by real people — everywhere."
While rooted in Nigeria — Africa's largest economy and most populous nation — the problems we tackle and the solutions we build are profoundly global in relevance. From rural India to off-grid Indonesia, from maternal health crises in Latin America to smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia, the prototypes born in Nigeria carry lessons, open-source code, and business models that travel.
Our Objectives
Four pillars that guide everything we do at DTC.
Build High-Performing Teams
Form founding teams capable of taking ideas from concept to market with world-class execution.
Develop Investable Solutions
Create technology-enabled solutions that directly address systemic challenges in healthcare, energy, and agriculture.
Equip With Skills
Equip participants with design thinking, rapid prototyping, and investor readiness skills.
Strengthen Ecosystems
Foster collaboration across government, industry, startups, and development partners.
What Makes DTC Different
We don't just run a competition. We build ventures.
Human-Centred
We start with empathy, not assumptions. Every solution is built around real user needs through deep community engagement.
Investor-Ready Output
Our 3-month incubation produces ventures with validated business models, traction data, and polished pitch decks.
Sustainable Model
DTC takes less than 1% equity. Our revenue share only activates on success, aligning incentives for everyone.
Formal Address
His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah — Executive Governor of Enugu State
It is a privilege to welcome you to the Design Thinking Challenge (DTC) 2026 here in Enugu State. This programme is not merely a competition; it is a platform for young innovators to transform ideas into scalable solutions for real societal challenges.
Enugu State is committed to building a robust digital economy and empowering our youth to drive innovation and economic growth. By fostering technology-led entrepreneurship, we are creating an ecosystem where creativity meets opportunity, and where bold ideas can address pressing issues in healthcare, energy, agriculture, and beyond.
I acknowledge and commend our partners whose strategic support demonstrates the power of public-private collaboration in advancing innovation. Their engagement, through funding, mentorship, and active participation, ensures that participants have the tools, guidance, and platform to translate ideas into impact.
To the finalists, I challenge you to think ambitiously and design human-centred solutions with scale and sustainability in mind. Your work has the potential to improve lives, strengthen communities, and position Enugu State as a leading hub for African innovation.
Through collaboration, ingenuity, and determination, we will continue to advance youth-driven development and a future powered by innovation.
His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah
Executive Governor of Enugu State
Address
Engr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh, FNSE, PhD — Honourable Commissioner for Innovation, Science & Technology, Enugu State
“Innovation begins with curiosity and the courage to try.” At the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, we believe that our young people hold the key to solving some of Nigeria's biggest challenges.
The Design Thinking Challenge (DTC) is a platform where ideas come alive, where young innovators test, learn, and build solutions that can improve lives in healthcare, energy, agriculture, and beyond.
Our role is to create an environment where talent can thrive. Through the Enugu Tech Festival and the DTC, we connect innovators with mentors, investors, and government support, so that good ideas don't just stay on paper; they become real solutions that impact communities.
We know that young people are not waiting for permission to innovate; they just need opportunities. That is why we are committed to building a strong innovation ecosystem in Enugu State, one where ideas are encouraged, supported, and scaled for maximum impact.
To all the participants: think big, test your ideas, and collaborate. Your creativity, energy, and determination are what will shape the future of innovation in Nigeria.
Engr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh, FNSE, PhD
Honourable Commissioner for Innovation, Science & Technology, Enugu State
Covener: Enugu Tech Fest | Patron/Host: DTC
Our Ask — Core Philosophy
The challenges staring us in the face every day don't arrive on a quarterly schedule — so neither should our innovation muscle.
That's why in 2026 we begin modestly with two high-quality Design Thinking challenges, then scale thoughtfully to quarterly in 2027, with the clear ambition of reaching monthly cadence once the practice is mature and embedded.
By steadily increasing frequency, we move from treating Design Thinking as an occasional event to making it our daily operating system for tackling persistent, real-world problems.
This approach reflects maturity in innovation leadership: recognizing reality (problems are daily), starting realistically, scaling deliberately, and aiming for systemic integration rather than sporadic heroics.
Our Compelling Ask
Among the applicants were dozens of non-winning finalists with solid project ideas brimming with scalability potential. These teams didn't make the top 12, yet their concepts — in healthcare innovations that could save lives, energy solutions for sustainable power, and agricultural advancements to boost food security — hold immense promise.
By supporting DTC with additional funding, we can empower at least 100 more of these high-potential teams — providing them with seed grants, mentorship, and resources to turn their ideas into thriving ventures. Contributions could start at ₦10,000,000 to cover grants for 5 teams, scaling up to ₦50,000,000 or more to fully fund this expansion.
In return, partners gain visibility as champions of innovation, access to a pipeline of scalable startups, and the satisfaction of driving measurable impact. Together, let's not leave great ideas on the table.
Design Thinking in Action: Reinventing the Shopping Cart
Ever pushed a shopping cart down a crowded aisle and felt like it had a mind of its own? Wheels stuck, baskets wobbling. You can't even focus because your kids are darting off, picking things that catch their interest.
Shopping was stressful, unsafe, and exhausting. Kids got lost, carts bumped into each other, and carts dragged shoppers instead of the other way around. All this was because traditional carts were heavy, hard to steer, and dangerous, especially for parents with young children. Not long after, stores were noticing fewer visits.
IDEO went straight to the source:
- Observed shoppers navigating real aisles
- Listened to parents juggling toddlers and groceries
- Noted challenges faced by elderly shoppers and store staff
Prototyping & Testing: Built quick prototypes. Tested in stores, iterating with feedback every step of the way.
Solution: A safer, more flexible shopping cart with smooth-turning wheels and smart compartments. Easier to push and navigate different store layouts. Made shopping faster, safer, and less stressful.
Impact: A simple redesign that transformed everyday shopping, proving that understanding real people first leads to human-centred solutions that create real, measurable change.
How DTC Works — The Pentagonal Innovation Framework
DTC is structured as a value add to technology or policy facing events where challenges are identified. See DTC as that execution arm of every person-facing conversation.
P
Problem
P
People
P
Process
P
Product
P
Profit
The DTC Innovators In Residence Program is structured as a hybrid incubation program that will run twice annually, each heralded by a demo day primarily targeted toward ensuring that our Innovators showcase their solutions to potential partners and investors for scale. Our goal is that each business will go ahead to raise funding needed to enable them to do more in terms of impact and reach needed for their businesses to be valuable and as well profitable.
Updates & Next Steps
New Faculty Addition — Ms. Sam Steele
We are thrilled to announce that Ms. Sam Steele, Director at DesignHouse (United Kingdom), has joined our DTC Innovator in Residence faculty. Sam brings world-class expertise in marketing, storytelling, fundraising decks, and investor pitches. She will work directly with our incubated teams to help them craft compelling narratives and close investment rounds.
Investor Access Partnership — Ennovate Ventures
We have now formalized a solid partnership with Ennovate Ventures, giving our incubated innovators direct access to their investor network, pitch opportunities, and deal-flow support.
Pitch Exposure via Spark Africa
We have partnered with Spark Africa, organizers of the Africa Startup Festival (ASF) and Africa Tech Expo (ATE). Our incubated teams will receive priority pitching slots at both events — fantastic visibility platforms to accelerate traction.
Key Next Steps
- Co-creating the DTC Innovators in Residence Program (Incubation Curriculum) in Partnership with Mindful Marks led by Prof Pattiebelle Hastings, and Quinnipiac University, USA.
- Finalizing updated mentor/assessor guidelines and onboarding materials (target: end of March 2026).
- Scheduling a short, informal virtual debrief & appreciation gathering (aiming for mid-March).
- Transitioning toward a more formalized mentor matching and tracking system.
Building Africa's Innovation Future Together
At the Design Thinking Challenge, we believe that every challenge is an opportunity. Each prototype, each idea, each solution from our innovators is a step toward a smarter, more sustainable Nigeria.
We are grateful to our partners, mentors, and supporters who turn potential into progress, and to the young innovators whose creativity and determination show us what's possible when we put people at the centre of problem-solving.
Design. Solve. Scale. Build a stronger, more innovative milieu.
