By Adedapo Adesanya
Innovate Africa, the product-led fund backing bold early-stage innovators, has announced it will host the Lagos edition of World Product Day 2025 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at The Strong Tower Hall in Lagos to tackle the world’s “wickedest” problems.
The one-day conference marks the culmination of a continent-wide transformative sprint, moving from grassroots problem identification to prototype-ready solutions that address Africa’s most complex and urgent challenges.
According to a statement shared with Business Post, World Product is a global initiative by Mind the Product, celebrated in over 100 cities worldwide. Curated by Innovate Africa, the Lagos gathering offers a high-impact, single-day conference that connects product builders, engineers, founders, and enterprise teams through thought leadership discussions, practical learning, and talent engagement.
Themed Bold Builders Wanted, the initiative began in March with an open Ideathon, which crowdsourced real-world challenges from across the continent. Innovate Africa distilled the hundreds of entries into 12 “wicked problems” spanning healthcare, climate resilience, digital infrastructure, consumer protection, and public services.
In April, the fund assembled multidisciplinary teams and product owners, who through structured sprints pushed each idea to prototype stage. The top 5 teams will pitch their solutions live in Lagos for a $2,000 grand prize and a comprehensive post-event support package designed to help transform early-stage ideas into scalable ventures. In addition, finalist teams could receive incubation support, or mentoring.
Set to bring together up to 250 curated participants, including mid- to senior-level professionals, founders, hiring managers, and ecosystem leaders, confirmed speakers include Mr Mustapha Otaru, Chief Product Officer at Sterling Bank; Mr Andrew Obuoforibo, Head of Product at 54 Collective; and Mr Isma’il Shomala, Chief Product Officer at Go Money.
In addition to the hackathon finale, the event highlights will include: Product Career Fair, a curated matchmaking between top-tier product and engineering talent and leading African tech employers; Hands-On Product Workshops, a facilitated training on customer discovery, product strategy, and experimentation; and Fireside Chats & Panels, an intimate discussions with product executives, including a spotlight session with top tech companies in Africa, including Moniepoint.
Kristin H. Wilson, Managing Partner of Innovate Africa Fund, said “Too many of Africa’s wicked problems are still meeting surface solutions – shiny tech, borrowed models from markets such as the US, and large funding rounds – before the problem has been clearly defined.
“If we really want to solve these challenges, we need to start by listening, get clear on what’s broken and then roll up our sleeves with builders who lead with empathy, context, and a bias for execution. 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.”
Product builders, engineers, founders, and enterprise teams are invited to register at https://lu.ma/jnjimijz to attend World Product Day Lagos 2025 and be part of a movement turning bold ideas into breakthrough products.
