From YouTube to a Pan-African Innovation Movement

In 2019, Brian Echeji — a Nigerian entrepreneur working across multiple industries — stumbled upon a series of free design thinking videos on YouTube. They were created by Professor Pattie Belle Hastings of Quinnipiac University, an educator who describes herself as an “accidental YouTuber.” She’d set up the channel to teach her students how to use the platform. The videos were never meant for a global audience.

Seven years later, those freely shared resources have become the foundation of one of the most ambitious grassroots innovation programs on the African continent: the Design Thinking Challenge (DTC™).

The Problem That Sparked It All

Brian had watched a troubling pattern repeat across the African startup ecosystem. Young founders would raise significant capital — two million, five million dollars — only to shut down within two years. The problem, he believed, wasn’t a lack of talent or ambition. It was orientation.

Founders were building products for themselves rather than solving real problems for real people. Brian reasoned that if innovators could experience a structured design thinking process — one grounded in empathy, user research, and iterative prototyping — they would build fundamentally different, more sustainable businesses.

The Design Thinking Challenge was born from that conviction.

Three Sectors, One Framework

The DTC™ 2026 is a ten-week program structured around a five-phase human-centred design framework inspired by Stanford’s d.school and IDEO methodologies. It targets three sectors where acute need and massive opportunity intersect across Nigeria and the broader continent.

A Government Champion: Commissioner Ezeh and Enugu State

The DTC’s trajectory changed decisively when it gained the backing of the Enugu State Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, under the dynamic leadership of Honourable Commissioner Dr. Prince Lawrence Ezeh (FNSE, PhD).

Commissioner Ezeh’s commitment was swift and resolute. Following an initial conversation with Brian in which the DTC’s vision was shared, he immediately recognized its power to unlock latent talent, harness knowledge capital, and deliver lasting value — not just for Enugu State, but for Nigeria and the global innovation ecosystem.

True to his reputation for decisive action, Commissioner Ezeh moved beyond verbal support. He personally reached out to and engaged top Nigerian organizations to build awareness and momentum for the initiative. Among the early and influential adopters mobilized through his outreach was TD Africa, led by Chioma Ekeh — wife of Leo Stan Ekeh, widely regarded as “Africa’s Bill Gates.” After the Commissioner and Brian’s direct engagement, Chioma Ekeh expressed independent and enthusiastic interest in the DTC, highlighting its strong potential to catalyze sustainable economic growth through practical, inclusive innovation.

TD Africa became the headline sponsor. Brian had initially sought modest seed grants of ₦3 million per winner. TD Africa countered with ₦10 million per sector winner — a dramatic signal of corporate confidence in the program’s model.

1,069 Applicants. 23 Countries. One Shared Purpose.

When applications opened in December 2025, the response exceeded all expectations. Within weeks, 1,069 applicants from 23 countries — including the United States — had submitted proposals. For Brian, this was the moment the initiative transcended his personal vision.

Transforming Mindsets

The DTC’s most powerful outcome may not be the prototypes or prize money, but the fundamental shift in how participants think. Brian conducts informal evaluations throughout the program, and the feedback has been striking.

This reorientation — from building what founders think is needed to deeply understanding what communities actually need — represents the core thesis of the program. The five-phase journey reinforces it at every step: it begins with immersive empathy workshops in rural clinics, farms, and off-grid villages before a single line of code is written.

Beyond the Prize: The Innovators-in-Residence Program

Central to the DTC’s strategy is the conviction that prize money alone doesn’t build lasting enterprises. Winners enter a six-month Innovators-in-Residence program: three months of incubation focused on problem-solution fit and business case development, followed by three months of acceleration toward customer traction and Series A readiness. Up to ₦100 million is available to qualifying teams.

What makes this model distinctive is Brian’s insistence that design thinking not appear only as a preliminary phase but be woven throughout the entire six months. To build this curriculum, Brian has invited Professor Hastings to co-create the program — an offer she enthusiastically accepted.

The Accidental YouTube Effect

For Professor Hastings, the DTC represents the realization of a deeply held belief in legacy over revenue. Her design thinking videos — created with no commercial intent — have drawn engagement from business owners in Saudi Arabia, professors across multiple continents, and now an entire innovation ecosystem spanning 23 nations.

The DTC story is a powerful case study in the compounding, unpredictable power of open educational resources. A set of freely available videos and a downloadable design thinking dashboard became the foundation of a multi-million-naira innovation ecosystem. It may take years for the right person to discover the right material at the right moment — but when it happens, the ripple effects can be extraordinary.

What Happens Next

The DTC™ 2026 Demo Day was held on February 23, 2026, with Professor Hastings serving as a virtual judge alongside African and international investors. Winners are now entering the Innovators-in-Residence program. The upcoming Enugu Tech Festival 2026 will provide further visibility for DTC innovators on a national and international stage.

Brian sees the DTC as a replicable model — one that can be adapted across geographies and sectors wherever the gap between innovative potential and human-centred execution persists. As he puts it, the work is ultimately simple. It’s about ensuring that where there is value, there is profit — and that value always begins with the people.