Design Thinking: How FutureMap is Cultivating a Culture of Innovation in Nigeria
By Shuaib Sani Shuaib
Something transformative happened recently in Abuja—not a political rally, a policy unveiling, or a government summit, but something arguably just as powerful. From May 14 to 16, 2025, a room at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria was charged with a rare kind of energy. It wasn’t the usual lecture-hall vibe. It was the hum of minds awakening to possibility.
This was the FutureMap Foundation’s Design Thinking Workshop—a space where 40 passionate Nigerians gathered not to be instructed, but to be empowered. Here, they weren’t told what to think; they were taught how to think differently. And that subtle yet seismic shift in mindset may just be the spark we need to ignite real change.
Nigeria has no shortage of training programmes and development events. Many promise transformation. Few deliver it. What set this workshop apart was not its location or its logo—it was its method. This was not a passive learning experience. It was an immersion into a new mindset built on empathy, creativity, and collaboration.
Participants didn’t just sit through lectures. They engaged in empathy mapping, ideation, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing. The focus wasn’t on memorising formulas—it was on reimagining reality.
The results speak for themselves. Ninety-three percent of participants said the workshop met or exceeded their expectations. Over 93 percent found the content directly relevant to their lives and work. Ninety percent were eager to immediately apply what they learned. Nearly all rated the facilitators as “very effective” or “extremely effective.”
As one participant, Ugochi Ndukwe-Moghalu, enthusiastically put it: “I’m still impressed at how my team ripped the brief, came up with a solution, and even built a prototype—including a website, mobile app, campaign pitch, and proposal—all within a very short time.” This wasn’t theoretical training. It was applied thinking—on steroids.
Too often in our education system, young people are taught to memorise, not to imagine. The FutureMap workshop challenged that status quo. Guided by seasoned facilitators like David Oyawoye and Amoge Ndukwe, participants were encouraged to question assumptions, deconstruct challenges, and design solutions—human-centred ones.
One participant, Samira Usman Adam, captured the shift beautifully: “This is really a step forward in achieving my personal and professional goals. You start seeing everything as a solvable task.” That’s the power of design thinking—it rewires how people perceive problems and empowers them to become architects of solutions.
The room wasn’t filled with elite technocrats or policy wonks. It was a vibrant mix of youth and experience, drawn from across the country. Fifty-seven percent were aged 25 to 34—mostly early-career professionals and recent graduates. Twenty-seven percent were between 18 and 24—young minds still moulding their futures. A thoughtful minority over 35 brought wisdom and grounding.
They came from places like NITDA, Cosmopolitan University, and startups like Thermolinks and ShiftUp Africa. Some heard about the event on Instagram, others via WhatsApp or colleagues. In a world often saturated with noise, meaningful opportunities like this still find their way to those who seek them.
In a society where systemic dysfunction and bureaucratic inertia often stifle innovation, the FutureMap workshop did the opposite. It placed human needs at the centre of innovation. It democratised problem-solving, breaking down silos between students, civil servants, entrepreneurs, and creatives.
With 20 full scholarships, cost was not a barrier to participation. Diversity wasn’t cosmetic—it was intentional. And cross-sector collaboration was not only encouraged; it was necessary. Workshops like this remind us: the best ideas don’t come from the top down, but from the middle out and the bottom up.
The real measure of success lies in what happens after the room is empty. And already, many participants are translating what they learned into projects, campaigns, and workplace reforms. They’re building apps. They’re rethinking public services. They’re reframing challenges in their communities.
Some asked for longer sessions—not because they were bored, but because they were hungry. Hungry for knowledge. Hungry for agency. Hungry to lead. And that hunger? That’s how nations are rebuilt.
What the FutureMap Foundation achieved in just three days is more than a ticked box on a calendar. It is a replicable model for reimagining how we train leaders, design policy, and empower communities. It reminds us that we do not lack talent. We do not lack passion. We lack intentional spaces that unlock both.
In an era when many Nigerians are disillusioned with failing systems and distant institutions, this workshop proved that change begins in small, well-curated rooms—rooms filled not with echo chambers, but with empathy, imagination, and the will to act.
Let’s multiply such spaces. Let’s fund them. Let’s protect them. Because among those 40 participants may sit tomorrow’s innovators, educators, and reformers. And for three days, they weren’t just trained—they were transformed.
Shuaib Sani Shuaib writes from Abuja
