Part of the Defence Futures Lab pathway  ·  Lagos → Geneva → San Francisco → New York → Abuja  ·  ← Back to the Lab
UNGA 81 Side Event  ·  New York  ·  By invitation

Nigeria at the
Nexus.

People, Power and Sovereign Capability — a senior, cross-sector dialogue three weeks before the Defence Futures Summit in Abuja.

Tuesday 22 September 2026  ·  09:00–14:00  ·  Convene Central Park Forum, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York

Request an invitation Submit a Cooperation Interest Note Defence Futures Summit · 14–15 Oct
00
Days
00
Hours
00
Minutes
00
Seconds
The proposition

New York opens the pathways. Abuja converts them into action.

Summit · Abuja · 14–15 October
Why New York

A pre-Summit mobilisation,
not a post-Summit celebration.

Nigeria at the Nexus is a concentrated UNGA-side programme convened by Kryterion Limited and the Defence Futures Lab. It connects human capability, national power and international pathways to Nigeria's emerging defence-renewal and sovereign-capability agenda — and carries what is agreed in New York straight into the Defence Futures Summit in Abuja on 14–15 October.

People create capability
The Forward Loop and SheCode.ai ask who gets to build the future — and what must change for African women and girls to move from receiving technology programmes to building systems, companies and institutions.
Institutions organise power
Power Beyond Force asks how modern nations combine security, technology, culture, capital, diplomacy and diaspora influence — and what Nigeria should build or institutionalise over the next decade.
Partnerships accelerate progress
The Ministerial Dialogue and Pathways Action Session record who is prepared to contribute what, with whom and by when — under Nigerian ownership and Nigerian-defined priorities.
Programme

One morning. Four connected acts.

The formal programme runs 09:00–14:00 and closes on time, in recognition of UNGA-week diaries and onward travel. Lunch and phased departures follow to 15:00. Only full-programme bridge participants attend every segment; other guests receive session-specific invitations. Times are indicative and subject to confirmation.

Public session Invitation only Principal programme Protocol / transition
08:30–09:00
Registration and networking breakfast
Government-issued photo ID required; name must match your registration.
Arrivals
09:00–09:08
Institutional welcome
Opening and framing of the New York programme.
Public
09:08–10:00
Act I — The Forward Loop Breakfast Salon
Who gets to build the future? Women, AI and resilient African communities. Moderated salon and live SheCode.ai demonstration.
Invitation only
10:00–10:15
Coffee, media capture and stage reset
Transition.
Transition
10:15–11:05
Act II — Power Beyond Force: New York Preview
Diaspora, technology and the new architecture of national power. A professionally recorded conversation hosted by Col. Felix Alaita (Rtd.).
Public · recorded
11:05–11:35
Principal arrivals and formal opening of the Ministerial Programme
Protocol window, guest transition and controlled media interactions.
Protocol
11:35–12:55
Act III — Nigeria Responsible Defence Innovation Ministerial Dialogue
Mobilising global pathways for future-force readiness and sovereign capability. Led by the Honourable Minister of Defence, subject to confirmation.
Principal programme
12:55–13:35
Act IV — International Pathways Action Session
Structured conversion session. Cooperation Interest Notes recorded under four pathway clusters.
Principal programme
13:35–14:00
Ministerial direction, New York Action Note readout, official photograph and formal close
The programme closes at 14:00.
Principal programme
14:00–15:00
Closing lunch and phased principal departures
Final networking and departure window.
Invitation only
Sessions

Three lenses. One action mechanism.

The programme tells one national proposition through three complementary lenses and converts it through one practical mechanism.

I
The Forward Loop Breakfast Salon
Who gets to build the future? A tightly moderated salon rather than a conventional panel, examining the systems African women and girls need to become builders of technology, companies and institutions: recognised credentials, devices and connectivity, responsible AI, safeguarding, mentors, employment, entrepreneurship and access to capital. Output: The Forward Loop New York Action Compact.
II
Power Beyond Force — New York Preview
How do nations combine their instruments of power? A recorded conversation with two guests — one from diplomacy, policy or national-security strategy, one from technology, capital, media, culture or diaspora enterprise — on how nations protect, persuade, produce and project power. Presented as a founding preview; Episode 1 follows at the Summit in Abuja.
III
Nigeria Responsible Defence Innovation Ministerial Dialogue
What global pathways does Nigeria require? The institutional centre of the programme. Nigeria defines its own priority challenges and invites governments, universities, technology companies, industrial partners, investors, development institutions and diaspora professionals to align specific capabilities with them. Not a request for assistance, a vendor showcase or a procurement forum.
IV
International Pathways Action Session
Who will do what, with whom and by when? A 40-minute structured session capturing non-binding but practical indications of interest under four clusters: Technology, Cyber & Responsible AI; Universities, Skills & Defence-to-Tech; Industrialisation & Capital; Diaspora, Culture & Strategic Influence. One focal person. One pathway. One practical 90-day action.
International pathways

Come as a pathway builder,
not an observer.

Diplomatic missions and institutions are invited to connect their universities, research centres, technology ecosystems, manufacturers, investors, development institutions, professional networks and diaspora communities to Nigerian-defined priorities ahead of the Abuja Summit. Participation does not require a defence-sales proposition.

Pathway 01
Responsible AI & cyber governance
Policy exchange, assurance, exercises, standards and institutional capacity.
Pathway 02
Universities & professional education
Joint research, visiting faculty, fellowships, microcredentials and talent development.
Pathway 03
Secure digital infrastructure & resilience
Cyber readiness, secure communications, sovereign hosting, identity and continuity.
Pathway 04
Industrialisation & technology transfer
Integration, maintenance, assembly, manufacturing, supply chains and lifecycle support.
Pathway 05
Capital & development cooperation
Grants, venture capital, blended finance, infrastructure finance, export credit and risk sharing.
Pathway 06
Diaspora, culture & strategic influence
Experts, mentors, media, heritage, cultural diplomacy and international market access.
Four questions for every respondent

What capability, institution or pathway can you contribute? Which Nigerian priority does it address? Who will serve as the focal person? What practical action could begin before or shortly after the October Summit?

Submit a Cooperation Interest Note
Attend

Invitation-only. Session-specific.

Nigeria at the Nexus is a small, senior and deliberately cross-sector gathering. Registration is by invitation and subject to approval by the secretariat; each category below opens the registration form for that session. Only bridge participants attend every segment.

Full programme — bridge participant
08:30–15:00, every segment including the closing lunch. Reserved for invited participants connecting the morning sessions, the Ministerial Dialogue and the Pathways Action Session.
Register →
The Forward Loop Breakfast Salon
08:30–10:00. Women in AI, universities, foundations, technology and device partners, employers and mentors.
Register →
Power Beyond Force — New York Preview
10:15–11:05. Policy, diplomacy, diaspora, technology, capital, media and culture. Professionally recorded.
Register →
Ministerial Dialogue & Pathways Action Session
11:25–14:00 with closing lunch. Diplomatic missions, government, multilateral institutions, partners and diaspora leaders.
Register →
Media (accredited)
Approved public segments only. Accreditation is confirmed individually.
Apply →
Cooperation Interest Note
For missions and institutions ready to indicate a pathway, a focal person and a 90-day action — before or during the programme.
Submit →

Government-issued photo ID is required for entry. Media access, recording, photography and personal data are governed by approved accreditation, consent and claims-control procedures. Government, mission, speaker and partner participation is announced only once confirmed in writing.

Cooperation Interest Note

One focal person. One pathway.
One practical 90-day action.

A concise, non-binding record of what your country or institution is prepared to contribute, which Nigerian priority it addresses, who will carry it and what can begin before or shortly after the October Summit. Notes submitted here are compiled into the International Pathways Register and the New York Action Note, and transferred into the Defence Futures Summit process.

The secretariat acknowledges every note and circulates the New York Action Note for factual confirmation within 48 hours of the programme.

Note received.

Thank you. Your Cooperation Interest Note has been logged for the International Pathways Register. The secretariat will be in touch before the programme.

Venue & protocol

Convene, Central Park Forum.

810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street, Midtown Manhattan — a short distance from the UN Headquarters corridor and the principal UNGA-week hotels.

Address
Convene — Central Park Forum
810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Venue access 08:00–18:00; formal programme 09:00–14:00.
Entry
Government-issued photo ID matching the name on your registration. Please attend only the sessions you have been confirmed for; room capacities are managed per session.
UNGA week
Expect road closures and security perimeters across Midtown during the General Debate. Allow additional travel time; the venue is best reached on foot or by subway (57th St, 7th Ave Q; 50th St 1).
Media
Accredited media may attend approved public segments only. There is no media access to restricted or private discussions. Recording and photography are governed by consent and claims-control procedures.
What happens next

From New York to Abuja.

Every pathway recorded in New York is carried into the Defence Futures Summit through one integrated New York Action Note — organised under People, Power, Sovereign Capability and International Pathways, and circulated for factual confirmation within 48 hours.

Output 01
New York Action Note
The integrated record of the programme and the input package for the Summit.
Output 02
Forward Loop Action Compact
Skills, credential, device, mentor, employment and safeguarding pathways.
Output 03
National Power & Diaspora Insight Note
Arising from the Power Beyond Force conversation, with edited media assets.
Output 04
International Pathways Register
Focal persons, contributions, Nigerian counterparts, next actions and Summit relevance.
Defence Futures Summit 2026 · Abuja · 14–15 October The Defence Futures Lab
Convened by
Coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Ministry of Defence
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Defence Futures Lab
Defence
Futures Lab
Ministry of Defence crest
Powered by
Kryterion Limited
Kryterion

Nigeria at the Nexus is an independent stakeholder programme convened on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. It is not an official United Nations meeting or a UN-endorsed event. The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations is the proposed institutional anchor and the Honourable Minister of Defence the proposed lead government principal, each subject to confirmation and protocol. SheCode.ai, The Forward Loop and Power Beyond Force are independent programme properties; their participation does not imply government adoption or endorsement. The event is non-classified and non-procurement.