Tinubu to present innovation grants to NASENI competition winners

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Wednesday present cash grants to winners of three innovation competitions organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

The awards ceremony will take place at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Aso Rock, Abuja, and will mark the conclusion of the maiden editions of the InnovateNaija, FutureMakers by NASENI and NASENI Intra-Inter Agency Innovation competitions.

According to a statement signed by NASENI Director of Information, Mr Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, the competitions were designed to identify innovative ideas capable of being developed into commercial ventures, creating jobs and contributing to Nigeria’s technological and industrial transformation.

Tinubu is expected to meet the national winners of FutureMakers by NASENI, three final national and regional winners of the InnovateNaija competition, as well as six winners of the Intra-Inter Agency Innovation competitions.

The winners will receive cash grants to support the development of their innovations from the early stages into commercially viable ventures.

Before the awards ceremony, zonal champions in the InnovateNaija and FutureMakers competitions will participate in the final pitching exercises on Tuesday, 6 October, at the Innovate Hub, NASENI Headquarters, Idu Industrial Area, Abuja.

In the FutureMakers by NASENI competition, six young innovators who emerged from 60 participants in the zonal competition will compete in the national pitching exercise.

The national winner will receive a N5 million prize, alongside other opportunities aimed at supporting the winner’s continued innovation journey.

FutureMakers by NASENI is a youth innovation programme of the NASENI Innovation Hub designed to identify, nurture and empower young Nigerians between the ages of five and 16 to develop technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges.

The national pitching exercise will mark the culmination of the 2026 edition of the programme.

InnovateNaija winner to receive N100m

In the InnovateNaija competition, three national winners will emerge from 37 state winners who have progressed to the final stage.

The competition is aimed at stimulating creativity and strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by providing a platform for innovative ideas to be developed into viable businesses.

The overall winner will receive N100 million, while the second- and third-place winners will receive N30 million and N20 million, respectively.

NASENI said the grants would help the winners translate their ideas into commercial ventures with the potential to contribute to economic growth and job creation.

Meanwhile, six winners of the NASENI Intra-Inter Agency Innovation Competitions, involving NASENI headquarters, its development institutes and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), will also receive their prizes.

According to NASENI, the prizes total N162.5 million, with N140 million allocated to the three winners from the MDAs competition and N22.5 million for the three winners of the Intra-Agency competition.

The joint awards presentation is expected to underscore the Federal Government’s push to strengthen innovation, technology development and commercialisation as part of efforts to accelerate Nigeria’s industrial renewal.

NASENI said the competitions represented an effort to move promising ideas beyond the conceptual stage and provide innovators with the resources and support required to develop them into sustainable enterprises.