There are moments in history that define a generation. Pivotal shifts where vision, opportunity, and raw human potential collide to create something extraordinary. I believe we are standing at the precipice of such a moment, and its epicenter is not where the world might expect. It's in Nigeria.
My name is Joshua T. Berglan, and I have dedicated my life to building platforms for voices that need to be heard. It's why I am incredibly honored and energized to announce that I have joined the Board of Governance for Hult Prize Nigeria. This isn't just another board seat; it's a commitment to a mission I believe will redefine social impact—a mission to empower the brilliant minds of Nigeria to build businesses that solve the world's most pressing challenges.
The Power of Proximity: Why Nigeria?
For too long, the narrative around solving global crises has been dominated by external perspectives. Yet, groundbreaking research consistently shows that the most effective and sustainable solutions emerge from those who live the problems daily. A study on social entrepreneurship emphasizes that local innovators possess "contextual intelligence" that is critical for creating interventions that actually work ( Zahra, S. A., et al., 2009 ).
Nigeria is a nation bursting with this exact potential. It is home to the largest youth population in Africa, a demographic that is digitally native, resilient, and hungry for change. The challenges here are complex—from energy access and food security to healthcare logistics—but within these challenges lie the seeds of world-changing innovation. This isn't about charity; it's about investment in a generation poised to build the future.
More Than a Competition: Building an Ecosystem
The Hult Prize , often called the "Nobel Prize for students," has a proven model for sparking student-led social enterprise. But our vision for Hult Prize Nigeria goes beyond the $1 million grand prize. We are building a self-sustaining ecosystem designed to nurture ideas from conception to global scale.
Our strategy is threefold:
- Democratize Access to Opportunity: We're reaching into every corner of the nation, engaging with universities and communities to ensure that the best ideas, regardless of their origin, have a platform. University-based competitions are powerful catalysts for transforming student mindsets from job-seekers to job-creators ( Balan, C., & Vasile, D., 2015 ).
- World-Class Mentorship and Training: An idea is only as strong as the team behind it. We are mobilizing a network of Nigerian and international leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts—people who have built, scaled, and succeeded—to provide hands-on mentorship. This is about transferring practical knowledge, not just theoretical advice.
- Bridge to Capital and Markets: We will actively connect our most promising ventures with the investment and resources they need to thrive. We are creating a pipeline that takes raw Nigerian ingenuity and refines it into investment-ready social enterprises with the potential for exponential impact.
This Is Our Call to Action
The work ahead is immense, but our conviction is unshakeable. Nigeria's future will not be dictated by its challenges, but defined by the innovators who rise to solve them. And in doing so, they will create blueprints for the rest of the world.
This is a call to every student in Nigeria with a disruptive idea. It's a call to every university leader to champion this movement on your campus. It's a call to every business leader and investor to join us as mentors and partners. And it's a call to the world to watch what happens here.
The next chapter of global innovation is being written. Join us and be a part of the story.
Follow our journey and get involved:
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Like us on Facebook
- Learn more about our work at joshuatberglan.com/hult-prize-nigeria
