Outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, announced that funding has been secured for iFAIR 5, set to begin in October 2026.
TETFund. Facebook/TETFund
Israel and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) have reaffirmed their commitment to nurturing Nigerian innovators through a fresh investment, mentorship and technology transfer, announcing funding for the fifth edition of the Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (iFAIR 5) while intensifying efforts to commercialise research from Nigerian universities.
The commitment was made on Friday at the iFAIR Cohort 4 Closing Ceremony and Innovation Showcase Challenge in Abuja, where participants unveiled prototypes developed in agriculture, healthcare, clean energy and community innovation.
Outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, announced that funding had been secured for iFAIR 5, which is scheduled to commence in October 2026.
“I am so proud to stand here today and announce that we have secured with our partners funding for iFAIR 5, and iFAIR 5 will be launching in October 2026,” Freeman said.
Describing the event as his final major engagement before leaving Nigeria after four and a half years as ambassador, he said the programme exemplifies the growing innovation partnership between Nigeria and Israel.
He stressed that the initiative was designed to help Nigerian innovators develop local solutions rather than import foreign technologies.
“This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It’s been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators develop Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation,” he said.
According to him, iFAIR has brought together academia, government, investors, engineers and entrepreneurs to transform ideas into businesses, businesses into jobs and jobs into economic growth.
Freeman said Nigeria and Israel had strengthened cooperation in water management, healthcare, education and technology during his tenure, thanking TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, and Innov8 Hub for sustaining the initiative.
He urged the graduating innovators to remain resilient and continue building solutions capable of transforming Nigeria and the African continent.
“Nigeria needs innovators like you. Africa needs innovators like you. The world needs innovators like you,” he added.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the programme aligns with Nigeria’s national development priorities by supporting innovation in food security, agriculture, healthcare, clean energy and the circular economy.
as evidence that engineering should remain human-centred and capable of solving real-life challenges.
“Technology must always be human-centred. Engineering has the power to change lives and create real impact,” she said.
She also praised the strong participation of women in engineering and innovation, describing it as one of the most impressive aspects of the programme.
The iFAIR initiative is a partnership between the Embassy of Israel, TETFund and Innov8 Hub aimed at supporting Nigerian innovators with mentorship, engineering expertise, funding opportunities and commercialisation pathways to transform research ideas into market-ready products.
