An Artificial Intelligence (AI) system designer and filmmaker, Mr Onu Abrahams, has identified weak product development structures, inadequate funding, limited access to data, and poor infrastructure as major barriers to scaling innovations in Nigeria.
Abrahams made this known during an exclusive interview in Abuja on Monday.
He said Nigerian innovators were capable of developing strong ideas and prototypes but often struggled to transform them into sustainable products that could serve large numbers of users.
“The biggest gap is in technology itself, its systems. It is easy to develop a prototype, but it is not easy to turn that prototype into a sustainable product,” he said.
According to him, innovators face challenges such as access to reliable data, computing infrastructure and capital when attempting to move beyond the prototype stage.
Abrahams noted that developing a successful technology product required more than technical expertise, stressing that founders also needed skills in product management, sales, partnerships and operations.
“Scaling from a prototype to a product that serves many people requires different skills and disciplines.
“Product management, sales, different kinds of partnerships, long-term relationships and operations,” he said.
He also cautioned innovators against prioritizing funding before establishing that their products could effectively address real-world problems.
“Many founders chase funding off prototypes without actually validating the product. So that’s also a problem,” he said.
Abrahams urged innovators to first understand the challenges faced by their target users and develop solutions tailored to those needs.
He emphasized that technology should be viewed as a tool for solving problems rather than the product itself.
“The solution you’re offering isn’t the AI itself. AI is the means to an end. So you’re not necessarily selling AI as a product, but you’re selling a solution,” he said.
The expert said innovators most likely to succeed would be those who understood consumer needs and developed practical solutions around them.
He also called for stronger collaboration among the government, educational institutions, and the private sector to create an ecosystem where innovations could be developed, tested, and scaled.
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Abrahams said Nigeria needed to support innovators beyond the initial prototype stage by providing access to the resources, expertise and infrastructure required to build sustainable products.
He added that addressing these gaps would help more Nigerian innovations evolve from early-stage ideas into products capable of competing in local and international markets.
 system designer and filmmaker, Mr Onu Abrahams, has identified weak product development structures, inadequate funding, limited access to data, and poor infrastructure as major barriers to scaling innovations in Nigeria.){kind=link}