Innovation Support Network (ISN)

The Innovation Support Network (ISN) is Nigeria's largest non-profit organization of innovation hubs, representing a national network of more than 230 member hubs across the country's states and the Federal Capital Territory. It exists to orchestrate a collaborative environment where technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact intersect, acting as what it describes as the "backbone" of Nigeria's innovation ecosystem. From major urban centers such as Lagos and Kano to emerging tech scenes in Uyo and Katsina, ISN positions itself as the connective tissue binding together the Nigerian innovation story. ISN's mission is to foster collaboration between hubs and ecosystem stakeholders, ensuring that innovation centers are sustainable, impactful, and globally competitive. Its vision is to be the ultimate catalyst for the Nigerian innovation ecosystem, driving national prosperity through technology and entrepreneurship. The network pursues this through convening, advocacy, capacity building, and the development of national standards for innovation support organizations. A central initiative is the Innovation Support Organisation (ISO) Audit & Certification Framework, developed with strategic support from Germany and the European Union through GIZ's Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Nigeria. This framework establishes unified benchmarks to assess the maturity, credibility, and impact of innovation support organizations, addressing fragmentation and uneven quality across the ecosystem. It classifies organizations into tiers and aims to build trust among founders, funders, and government while guiding funding allocation. ISN also produces knowledge products such as the 2026 Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report, commissioned by ISN and supported by GIZ and the European Union, which maps the landscape, challenges, and opportunities within Nigeria's hub ecosystem. The network hosts the ISN Annual Gathering, its flagship convening; the 2026 edition is scheduled for Lagos from 11 to 13 November 2026. Through its 2027 Strategic Roadmap, ISN focuses on four pillars: professional excellence, strategic policy, deep tech and industrialization, and a national talent pipeline. It aims to benchmark 120+ hubs against global standards, serve as a consultative body for the Nigeria Startup Act, integrate AI, IoT, and robotics into core sectors like agriculture and energy, and train 30,000+ Nigerians in future-ready digital skills by Q4 2027.

The Innovation Support Network (ISN) emerged as a response to the fragmentation and uneven quality of Nigeria's innovation hub ecosystem. It grew into a national network of more than 230 hubs, spanning Nigeria's states and the Federal Capital Territory, with a mission to foster collaboration among hubs and ecosystem stakeholders. The network describes itself as the "glue" that binds the Nigerian innovation story, connecting urban centers like Lagos and Kano with emerging tech scenes in Uyo and Katsina. A defining development in ISN's institutional history is the creation of the Innovation Support Organisation (ISO) Audit & Certification Framework, developed with strategic support from Germany and the European Union through GIZ's Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Nigeria. This framework was designed to set national standards for innovation support organizations, addressing challenges of fragmentation and uneven quality by establishing unified benchmarks for governance, programme delivery, operational effectiveness, and ecosystem impact. It classifies organizations into three tiers, balancing inclusivity for emerging hubs with rigor for established leaders. ISN has also become a producer of ecosystem knowledge. It commissioned the 2026 Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report, supported by GIZ and the European Union, which maps the landscape, challenges, and opportunities within Nigeria's hub ecosystem and provides data-driven insights into how 200+ hubs are shaping the future of the digital economy. The network hosts the ISN Annual Gathering, its flagship convening. The 2026 edition is scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria, from 11 to 13 November 2026, under the theme of engineering Nigeria's future digital economy. The event aims to catalyze sub-national growth and policy-driven innovation. Looking ahead, ISN has articulated a 2027 Strategic Roadmap with four pillars: Professional Excellence, Strategic Policy, Deep Tech & Industrialization, and National Talent Pipeline. Through these pillars, ISN aims to benchmark 120+ hubs against global standards, serve as the primary consultative body for the Nigeria Startup Act, move beyond the "app economy" to integrate AI, IoT, and robotics into core sectors like agriculture and energy, and train 30,000+ Nigerians in future-ready digital skills by Q4 2027.

• ISN Annual Gathering 2026 scheduled for Lagos, Nigeria, 11-13 November 2026

• 2026 Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report commissioned by ISN with support from GIZ and the European Union

• ISO Audit & Certification Framework developed with strategic support from Germany and the EU through GIZ DTC Nigeria

• 2027 Strategic Roadmap articulated with four pillars: Professional Excellence, Strategic Policy, Deep Tech & Industrialization, National Talent Pipeline

Nigeria's largest non-profit network of innovation hubs, serving as the backbone and catalyst of the national innovation ecosystem.

• ISO Audit & Certification Framework

  A structured, data-driven system to assess the maturity, credibility, and impact of Innovation Support Organisations (ISOs) in Nigeria, developed with support from Germany and the EU through GIZ DTC Nigeria.

• 2026 Nigerian Innovation Hub Assessment Report

  A comprehensive report commissioned by ISN and supported by GIZ and the European Union, mapping the landscape, challenges, and opportunities within Nigeria's hub ecosystem.

• ISN Annual Gathering

  The flagship convening of Nigeria's innovation ecosystem, bringing together ecosystem leaders to catalyze sub-national growth and policy-driven innovation.

1. 1Innovation Support Network | Unifying 200+ Hubs in Nigeriaisnhubs.org.ng
2. 2About Us - Innovation Support Network (ISN)isnhubs.org.ng
3. 3ISO Audit & Certification Framework - Innovation Support Network (ISN)isnhubs.org.ng
4. 4Innovation Support Network Hubs(ISN Hubs) - Wikidatawikidata.org