Build local tech solutions, NASENI urges youths

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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.

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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.

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Halilu said the innovators had moved from developing prototypes during a four-day hackathon to presenting their solutions to the public.

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“Today, the ideas our FutureMakers have spent four days building will move from prototype to public stage,” Halilu said.

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He said the pitch sessions would test the innovators’ ability to defend practical solutions designed around challenges in their communities.

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“This is the moment that matters most — watching young Nigerians defend solutions to problems their own communities face,” Halilu said.

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The 60 innovators emerged from a virtual regional hackathon held between August 17 and 20, with participants selected from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

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The live pitch sessions began on Monday and will continue through Thursday, August 27, with the sessions streamed on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook.

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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.

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The six zonal winners will proceed to the NASENI Invention Fest, where they will compete for a N5m grand prize.

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The overall winner will also receive a fully funded international study tour and scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.

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Halilu said the FutureMakers programme aimed to create a platform for young Nigerians to demonstrate practical, homegrown responses to challenges within their communities.

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The Hub Manager of NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Perez, said the solutions emerging from the programme covered different community needs.

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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.

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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.

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The agency is delivering the programme in collaboration with MIVA Open University and the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.

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