DESIGN THINKING, REAL LIVES: HOW FUTUREMAP IS CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION IN NIGERIA

Something transformative happened in Abuja. It wasn’t a rally, a policy launch, or a high-stakes summit. But for three days in May, a room at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria became charged with a kind of energy you rarely find in
traditional training halls.

This was the FutureMap Foundation’s Design Thinking Workshop, held from May 14–16, 2025 a space where 40 passionate Nigerians gathered not to be told what to do, but to learn how to solve problems by thinking differently. And that shift subtle even though subtle but powerful may be the seed of change we need more of.

NOT JUST ANOTHER WORKSHOP

Many events promise transformation, few deliver it. But here’s what makes this different: participants weren’t just shown slides or taught concepts they were immersed in a new mindset. One built on empathy, exploration, and co-creation. One that said: You can solve problems. You just need the right lens.

No exaggerations. The impact of this workshop was told by the numbers:

• 93.3% of attendees said the workshop met or exceeded expectations.

• Over 93% found the content relevant to their lives and work.

• A resounding 90% said they were very likely to apply what they learned immediately.

• And when asked about the facilitators? Nearly all said “Very Effective” or “Extremely Effective.”

“I’m still impressed at how my team was able to rip the brief, come up with our solutions and then decided we were going to take it a notch higher by building an actual prototype of our solution (which involved a website, a mobile app, a campaign pitch and proposal) all within a very short time,” – Ugochi Ndukwe-Moghalu.

THE AGE OF APPLIED THINKING

Too often, young people are trained to memorize, not to imagine. But here, they did both. Under the guidance of expert facilitators David Oyawoye and Amoge Ndukwe, participants engaged in empathy mapping, ideation, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing. They didn’t just learn design thinking they lived it.

They reframed challenges.

They debated assumptions.

They built prototypes that will transform into real-world solutions.

And something changed in the process. One participant said it best:

“This is really a step forward in achieving my personal and professional goal, you start seeing everything as an easy task to tackle or accomplish.” – Samira Usman Adam

WHO WERE THESE CHANGEMAKERS?

This wasn’t a homogenous crowd. It was a vibrant mix:

• 57% aged 25–34, mostly early-career professionals and graduates.

• 27% between 18–24, eager to shape their future.

• A wise few over 35 brought depth and perspective.

They came from NITDA, Cosmopolitan University, startups like Thermolinks and ShiftUp Africa, and other organizations you might not know but whose impact will soon be felt.

They heard about the workshop through colleagues, schools, Instagram, even WhatsApp broadcasts. That’s how ideas spread. That’s how movements begin.

WHY THIS MATTERS

In a society that often overlooks human-centered solutions, this workshop did the opposite. It placed people, Nigerians at the centre of problem-solving. It taught empathy, not as a buzzword, but as a tool. It modelled diversity, not as a quota, but as a strength.

Twenty scholarships ensured that no voice was left out because of cost. Cross-sector collaboration meant students sat beside government workers and startup founders. Everyone had something to learn. Everyone had something to teach.

And that’s the future. Not experts handing down ideas, but communities designing solutions together.

BEYOND THE ROOM

The conversations didn’t end when the projector shut down. Participants are now applying what they learned to build projects, improve processes, and even challenge how they think.

Some want future editions to have longer sessions. That’s not critique, that’s hunger. Hunger for learning. Hunger for agency. Hunger to lead.

And that hunger? That’s how nations change.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A CALL, NOT A CONCLUSION

What the FutureMap Foundation achieved isn’t just a successful workshop. It’s a blueprint for scaling human-centered innovation across Nigeria. And it tells us something important:

We don’t lack talent.

We don’t lack passion.

We simply need spaces that unlock both.

In a time when many feel disillusioned by big systems and rigid institutions, this workshop proved that small rooms filled with imagination and intention can birth the biggest changes.

Let’s multiply them.

Let’s fund them.

Let’s protect them.

Because somewhere in that room sat a future inventor, policymaker, or educator. And for three days, they weren’t just taught. They were transformed.