Build local tech solutions, NASENI urges youths
August 25, 2026 8:29 pm
NASENI
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure has challenged young Nigerian innovators to develop and defend homegrown technology solutions to problems affecting their communities.
The agency’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Halilu, stated this as 60 young innovators began live pitch sessions during FutureMakers Week.
Halilu said the innovators had moved from developing prototypes during a four-day hackathon to presenting their solutions to the public.
“Today, the ideas our FutureMakers have spent four days building will move from prototype to public stage,” Halilu said.
He said the pitch sessions would test the innovators’ ability to defend practical solutions designed around challenges in their communities.
“This is the moment that matters most — watching young Nigerians defend solutions to problems their own communities face,” Halilu said.
The 60 innovators emerged from a virtual regional hackathon held between August 17 and 20, with participants selected from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The live pitch sessions began on Monday and will continue through Thursday, August 27, with the sessions streamed on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook.
NASENI said the programme would reward innovators across the six geopolitical zones, with first-, second- and third-place winners receiving N1.5m, N1m and N500,000, respectively.
The six zonal winners will proceed to the NASENI Invention Fest, where they will compete for a N5m grand prize.
The overall winner will also receive a fully funded international study tour and scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.
Halilu said the FutureMakers programme aimed to create a platform for young Nigerians to demonstrate practical, homegrown responses to challenges within their communities.
The Hub Manager of NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Perez, said the solutions emerging from the programme covered different community needs.
She said the innovations included an artificial intelligence-powered learning platform developed in the South-West, an emergency alert device from the North-East and a North-Central platform designed to improve access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations.
Beyond the cash prizes, NASENI said the participants would gain access to its SparkLab prototyping facility, technical training and personalised mentorship to help them further develop their innovations.
The agency is delivering the programme in collaboration with MIVA Open University and the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.
Arinze Nwafor is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s economy, industry, data, metro, and judiciary. He focuses on highlighting growth, policy, and market challenges shaping Africa’s largest economy. Arinze’s reporting reflects practical newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, informative, and audience-focused journalism.
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