Nigerian institutions need to shift towards experiential education – Ajayi

Adebayo Ajayi is a Personal Excellence Coach, author of ‘Living Excellently’. With over 15 years of proven impact, he leads Success Within International, inspiring global relevance through personal and professional growth. He also runs PMP-Hub and Nakol ProjectPro Limited, equipping SMEs with practical project management solutions. He holds degrees from Covenant University, Robert Gordon University, and the University of East London, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Strategic Leadership at Oral Roberts University, USA. In this interview with KENNETH ATHEKAME, he emphasised that Nigeria’s diaspora can fast-track the nation’s innovation by transferring global expertise, networks, and capital. He noted that mentorship is the backbone of innovation capacity, among other issues. Excerpts:

Let’s start with your mantra, “Nothing short of excellence.” How did this mindset shape your journey into coaching, leadership, and innovation?

Excellence has never been a buzzword for me; it is the compass that has guided my entire journey. From a very young age, I was taught the value of diligence and discipline, and that foundation pushed me to pursue excellence in academics and life. When I earned a First Class in Chemical Engineering during my undergraduate studies, it wasn’t just about the certificate; it was proof that hard work, consistency, and a refusal to cut corners always produce results. Later, when I graduated with Distinction in my MSc in Oil and Gas, I reinforced the belief that excellence is not situational; it must be a constant standard.

What role do you believe the diaspora can play in accelerating Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, and how are you personally contributing to that?

The diaspora holds an immense responsibility and opportunity in shaping Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem. Nigerians abroad have access to world-class institutions, cutting-edge technologies, and diverse professional networks. These resources, if channeled strategically, can accelerate knowledge transfer, attract investment, and create bridges for collaboration. The diaspora can help Nigeria leapfrog stages of development by importing not just capital but expertise, systems, and global best practices.

For me personally, I see myself as a bridge. I contribute by creating pathways for Nigerian professionals and SMEs to connect with global opportunities. Through my teaching as an Adjunct Professor in Canada, my volunteer work with PMI, and platforms like PMP-Hub and Nakol ProjectPro, I bring global standards into conversations with Nigerians at home. Additionally, I mentor professionals, connecting them to international opportunities and networks that they would otherwise not access. My personal philosophy is that wherever I stand globally, I must serve as a channel for knowledge, resources, and opportunities to flow back into Nigeria.

As an Adjunct Professor and Project Management educator, how do you think Nigeria’s academic institutions can better prepare students for innovation-driven careers?

One of the biggest gaps in Nigeria’s education system is the disconnect between theory and practice. As an Adjunct Professor, I’ve seen how project-based learning transforms students; it gives them real-world exposure, develops problem-solving skills, and builds confidence. Nigerian institutions need to shift towards experiential education: create innovation hubs, embed internships and live projects into curricula, and foster stronger industry-academia partnerships.

Students must graduate not just with certificates, but with tested skills and prototypes of ideas they can commercialise. For instance, imagine every engineering or business graduate leaving school with a capstone project that addresses a local community need, developed with industry mentors, and supported by a small innovation grant. That’s how you build an innovation pipeline. Academic institutions must become incubators for solutions, not just examination halls.

Your work with PMP-Hub and Nakol ProjectPro targets SMEs. Why are SMEs vital to Nigeria’s innovation economy, and what gaps are you helping them bridge?

SMEs are the heartbeat of Nigeria’s economy, employing the majority of our workforce and serving as the first responders to community needs. They are agile and adaptive, which makes them natural drivers of innovation. Yet, many SMEs struggle with structure, scalability, and sustainability. That’s where PMP-Hub and Nakol ProjectPro come in. At PMP-Hub, we focus on building project management capacity, helping individuals learn about project management and also pass the PMP, a globally recognised project management certification. At Nakol ProjectPro, we go further by offering tailored consulting that helps SMEs professionalise their processes, optimise their operations, and align their goals with growth strategies. The gaps we bridge include poor planning, lack of execution frameworks, and limited access to professional networks. By equipping SMEs with project management and business excellence tools, we enable them to move from survival mode to growth mode, fueling Nigeria’s innovation economy.

You authored Living Excellently. What core principles from that book are most applicable to young Nigerian entrepreneurs and innovators today?

In Living Excellently, I emphasised three enduring principles: discipline, responsibility, and consistency. For Nigerian entrepreneurs, these principles are non-negotiable. Discipline helps you stay focused on your vision despite distractions. Responsibility ensures that you are accountable not just for your success but also for the impact of your work on others. Consistency separates those who start strong from those who finish well; it is the bedrock of sustainability. For innovators in Nigeria, where challenges often test resilience, these principles are even more critical. Ideas will come, opportunities may be limited, and challenges will persist, but discipline, responsibility, and consistency will keep you standing and innovating long after others have given up.

You’re a member of Nova Talent and the HBR Advisory Council. How do you leverage these networks to open doors for Nigerian professionals or shape global perceptions about Nigerian talent?

Nova Talent and the HBR Advisory Council place me in rooms where global thought leadership is being shaped. These platforms allow me to contribute ideas on strategy, leadership, and innovation while simultaneously showcasing the strength of Nigerian talent. Too often, global perceptions of Nigeria are limited to challenges. By participating in these networks, I bring visibility to our strengths, our resilience, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Practically, I also leverage these networks to create opportunities for Nigerian professionals, recommending them for roles, linking them to mentorship, and ensuring that Nigerian voices are represented in global discussions. Every time I contribute to a Harvard Business Review survey or participate in a Nova Talent project, I do so with Nigeria in mind, ensuring that our narrative shifts from deficit to possibility.

You volunteer with PMI Lakeshore Ontario. What lessons from leading project management initiatives abroad can be localised for Nigeria’s public and private sectors?

Volunteering with PMI Lakeshore has shown me the power of professional communities. Project managers across industries come together to share best practices, drive standards, and mentor the next generation. The lesson for Nigeria is that innovation is not just about individual brilliance, it’s about structured communities of practice. For Nigeria’s public sector, adopting such collaborative frameworks can help streamline policy execution, reduce waste, and enhance accountability. For the private sector, localising these lessons means creating networks where SMEs, startups, and corporations can exchange knowledge, share resources, and grow together. If Nigeria can build thriving professional ecosystems like PMI has done globally, innovation will not just be an aspiration; it will become a culture.

How important is mentorship in building a nation’s innovation capacity, and what mentoring structures do you think Nigeria is missing?

Mentorship is the silent engine behind every innovation ecosystem. Silicon Valley thrives not just because of funding but because of mentorship; experienced entrepreneurs constantly guide emerging ones. For Nigeria, mentorship is even more critical because many young innovators are navigating uncharted waters with little guidance. What we lack is a structured, scalable framework. Currently, mentorship in Nigeria is often informal or luck-based. If you know the right person, you get guidance; if not, you are on your own. What we need is a national mentorship framework, where professionals across industries commit to guiding young talent, and where structures exist to match mentees with mentors based on goals and interests. I believe creating such systems could exponentially accelerate Nigeria’s innovation growth.

Looking ahead, what’s your personal vision for Nigeria in the next 10 years as it relates to innovation and global relevance?

My vision is for Nigeria to become the innovation capital of Africa, a nation where our greatest export is no longer crude oil, but ideas, technologies, and talent. I see a Nigeria where SMEs are thriving, youth are empowered to lead industries, and our education system produces innovators, not just job seekers.

In 10 years, I want to see Nigeria on the global map not for its challenges but for its breakthroughs, homegrown solutions in energy, technology, and agriculture that are exported to the world. I believe Nigeria has the people, resources, and creativity to achieve this. What we need is alignment, discipline, and sustained leadership.

If you had the ears of Nigerian leaders for five minutes, what three actions would you advise them to take immediately to unlock innovation across sectors?

First, invest massively in education reform, shift from theory-based learning to skills, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Second, prioritise infrastructure development, particularly in digital technology, electricity, and transport. Without this foundation, innovation cannot scale. Third, create a national innovation policy that incentivises research, supports startups, and fosters public-private partnerships.

If Nigeria’s leaders can focus on these three areas consistently, they will unlock the potential of our people and transform innovation from isolated success stories into a national culture.

What upcoming projects, collaborations, or initiatives are you most excited about that could positively impact Nigeria’s innovation landscape?

I am excited about scaling PMP-Hub’s Job Ready Program, which equips aspiring project managers with practical skills to secure opportunities. We’ve seen tremendous results, and expanding it means more Nigerian professionals will be positioned for global relevance. At Nakol ProjectPro, we’re deepening our work with SMEs, helping them professionalise and scale, which will directly impact Nigeria’s innovation economy. Through Success Within International, I am also collaborating with partners to expand mentorship and leadership programs targeted at youth and professionals. These initiatives excite me because they are not abstract; they produce tangible results, equipping individuals and businesses to thrive.

What does “excellence” mean to you in the context of a developing economy like Nigeria?

Excellence in a developing economy means refusing to let scarcity define your standard. It is about delivering quality even when resources are limited, being creative with what you have, and still matching global standards. In Nigeria’s context, excellence is resilience; rising above dysfunction, innovating within constraints, and committing to consistency even when systems fail. It is the spirit of saying, “I will not lower my standard because of my environment; instead, I will raise the environment through my standard.”

Can you share a story where a principle of excellence led to unexpected innovation or transformation, either personally or professionally?

One story that stays with me is a project I managed in a resource-constrained environment where the budget cuts and infrastructural gaps made success seem impossible. The pressure was high to lower standards and “just deliver something.” But I insisted on holding to excellence. This forced the team to think differently, as we leveraged local resources, adopted cost-effective technologies, and restructured workflows. What started as a crisis became an innovation breakthrough. Not only did we deliver the project successfully, but the model we developed was later adopted as a best practice and replicated in other regions. That experience confirmed to me that excellence is not about perfection; it is about holding to your standard under pressure. Often, it is that insistence on excellence that sparks the innovation you didn’t initially see.