Professor Patricia Taiwo, a professor of Sociology at the University of Abuja, is the LOC chairperson of Technology, Arts, Science, Society- TASS Nigeria 2026, a premier international conference, organised by the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation, (CEMRI), in collaboration with the UNIABUJA, which is coming up in November. In this interview with MODUPE GEORGE, she speaks on the vision behind the conference and how it will translate Africa’s talent into scalable solutions. She also outlines the N10m Hackathon prize, 18 thematic tracks, and 1,500 delegates expected in Abuja, and why Nigeria must lead the continent’s innovation drive. Excerpts:
What inspired the theme ‘Advancing Global Innovation and Sustainable Development’ for TASS 2026, and why is it critical for Nigeria and Africa right now?
The theme reflects where we are as an African continent, with Nigeria as its giant. It reflects that indeed we are full of talent, ideas, and energy, but there is no denying the fact that we are still struggling to translate that potential into scalable and sustainable solutions. With this understanding, the TASS team was inspired to come up with a theme that speaks to both the global stage Nigerian innovation deserves to be on, and the responsibility we have to build solutions that outlast us. Africa’s youth population is our greatest asset, but only if we pair their creativity with the right platforms, mentorship, and investment will we not achieve the greatness that we are destined and supposed to be known for. Hence, TASS Nigeria 2026 is our own contribution to making sure that innovation on this continent is not just impressive, but that it is sustainable and part of Nigeria’s heritage.
TASS brings together Hackathon, innovation exhibition, and academic conference. How do these three pillars work together to drive real impact beyond just talk?
The fact remains that each of the three pillars you have in the programme plays a distinct role, but together they form a full pipeline. This academic conference is put together to generate rigorous and evidence-based thinking, which takes care of the ‘why’ and the research behind the solutions. The Hackathon takes that energy and compresses it into fast, hands-on problem-solving that sees young people building working prototypes under pressure, in real time. Then the innovation exhibition gives those ideas a stage that connects them with investors, industry players, and policymakers who can actually take them further. So, it is not a conference that ends with applause and a communique, but one where research feeds into building, and building feeds into real-world exposure. That’s how you move will from talk to action.
The Hackathon has a ?10 Million+ prize pool. What kind of problems do you hope student teams across Africa will solve during the 48-hour event?
In this regard, we are deliberately not narrowing it down to only one sector, because Africa’s challenges are too varied for that. However, we hope to see solutions around agriculture and food security, healthcare access, financial inclusion, clean energy, and education, because these are the everyday problems that affect real communities. We want teams to look around them, at what their own environment is lacking, and build something that addresses that or solves those problems, using technology as the tool. The ?10 Million-plus prize pool is significant, yes, but honestly, we hope the bigger prize is what happens after the 48 hours: teams that keep building, get incubated, get funded, and turn a hackathon project into something Nigeria actually uses as a major innovation.
For the innovation exhibition, what types of innovators, startups, and institutions should book exhibition space, and what opportunities will they get?
We are opening the floor to a wide range of opportunities, such as early-stage startups, university innovation hubs, research institutes, tech incubators, and even established companies with new products they want to test in front of a fresh audience. If you are working in agrictech, healthtech, fintech, edutech, clean energy, or any space touching sustainable development, TASS is for you. What exhibitors get is real access, and not just foot traffic. You are in the same room as investors, policymakers, academics, and potential partners who are there specifically looking for what’s next. It’s a chance to get visibility, get feedback from a knowledgeable crowd, and start conversations that could lead to funding or collaboration. We built the exhibition to be a marketplace of ideas, not just a display of banners.
As the LOC chairperson, what are the three key outcomes you want TASS Nigeria 2026 to achieve?
First, we want tangible outputs, such as working prototypes, published research, and exhibited innovations that do not just disappear after the closing ceremony, but that will go on to find funding, incubation, or adoption. Second, we want real connections made, students meeting mentors, researchers meeting investors, startups meeting policymakers. We are talking about the kind of relationships and networks that outlast the four days. Third, we want TASS Nigeria 2026 to leave Abuja and Nigeria with a clear signal: that this country is a serious hub for innovation on the continent, not just a participant in the conversation, but a driver of it.
With 18 thematic tracks including social sciences, governance, energy, fintech, and human capital, how will TASS ensure research presented actually influences policy, industry and polity?
This is what we have built structure around, not just hope for. Every track will have industry and policy stakeholders in the room, not just academics presenting to each other. So, every research will be tested against real-world relevance from day one. Also, we shall curate policy roundtables and industry dialogue sessions alongside the paper presentations, specifically to translate findings into recommendations that ministries, regulators, and companies can actually act on. We shall be committed to publishing a post-conference communique and select papers that get formally forwarded to relevant government agencies and industry bodies. A research that stays in a journal nobody reads doesn’t move Nigeria forward. Our job is to build the bridge between the paper and the policy desk, and that’s what these 18 tracks are structured to do.
As a sociologist, how do you see the role of ‘Society’ in TASS – Technology, Arts, Science, Society – in ensuring innovation is inclusive and sustainable?
As a sociologist, I would emphasise that Society is actually the most important letter in TASS, because it is the check on the other three. Technology, Arts, and Science can all produce brilliant innovation but without Society at the table, we risk building solutions that are impressive in a laboratory or a pitch deck and completely disconnected from how real people live, what they can afford, and what they will actually trust and adopt. Inclusive innovation means asking who gets left out before a product launches, not after. It means listening to rural communities, women, persons with disabilities, and low-income users as co-creators, not afterthoughts. Sustainability, too, isn’t just environmental, it is social and embedded in society. A solution that does not account for culture, livelihood, or local context will not survive contact with reality. So Society is not a soft addition to TASS, it is the discipline that keeps innovation honest, grounded, and built for the people it claims to serve.
TASS is expecting over 1500 delegates. How will you ensure students, researchers, policymakers, and private sector players all get value and networking opportunities?
With 1,500-plus delegates, the risk is always that people find their own small circle and never leave it. Thus, we have designed the four days deliberately to break that pattern. We are mixing formats, including plenary sessions where everyone is in the same room, smaller track sessions for deep engagement, hackathon showcases, and exhibition walkthroughs , so students are not just sitting in lectures, and policymakers are not just in closed-door meetings. We are also building in structured networking, not just coffee-break luck; things like matchmaking sessions between exhibitors and investors, mentorship corners where students can walk up to researchers and industry leaders, and dedicated time in the programme that isn’t competing with a keynote. The goal is that a student from a university in the Northeast can have a real conversation with a policymaker or a fintech CEO, not just watch them from the back row. Value at TASS should not depend on who you already know.
What is your message to students, innovators, and institutions about why they should not miss TASS Nigeria 2026?
To every student, innovator, and institution reading this, TASS Nigeria 2026 is not just another conference to add to your calendar. It is a four-day programme scheduled from November 9 to 12 in Abuja, where research, technology, and enterprise are going to meet in the same room, at the same time, with real stakes attached. If you are a student, this is where your idea can find a mentor, a teammate, or funding. If you are a researcher, this is where your work can find an audience beyond your department, and a path to actual policy influence. If you are an institution, this is where you position yourself as part of Africa’s innovation story, not just a spectator or passerby. Opportunities like this, with a ?10 million-plus Kackathon prize pool, 18 thematic tracks, an innovation exhibition, and 1,500-plus delegates from across the continent, don’t come around often in one package.