By Onu Okorie

National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has awarded N435.5 million in grants to innovators across the country as part of efforts to turn locally developed ideas into commercially viable products and businesses.
The grants were presented to winners of the maiden Innovate Naija, Future Makers, Intra-Agency and Inter-Agency Innovation Competitions at an award ceremony held on Wednesday at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The initiative, according to NASENI, is designed to identify promising innovations, support their development and create a pathway from ideas and prototypes to businesses capable of generating jobs and contributing to Nigeria’s technological and industrial development.
The national winner of the Innovate Naija competition received N100 million, while the first and second runners-up received N30 million and N20 million respectively.
The 37 state champions, including the Federal Capital Territory, received N2.5 million each.
The Intra-Agency and Inter-Agency competitions also produced six major winners who shared N162 million. Winners of the Inter-Agency competition received N140 million collectively, while N22.5 million was distributed among the three winners of the Intra-Agency competition.
Six finalists in the Future Makers competition received a combined N23 million, with the overall winner taking home a N5 million grant.
Tinubu pledges support for innovation
Presenting the awards on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting Nigerian innovators and developing home-grown technologies.
Udeh described the NASENI competition as evidence of the government’s effort to create opportunities for innovators to develop solutions to national challenges.
He urged the beneficiaries to deploy the grants responsibly by improving their products, testing their assumptions and building sustainable enterprises.
The minister said the government believed Nigerian innovators had the capacity to contribute significantly to the country’s future, particularly in the drive towards industrialisation.
NASENI urges winners to focus on solutions
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, urged the award recipients to remain focused on developing solutions to challenges affecting Nigerians.
Halilu advised the innovators to protect their intellectual property, understand their finances and build competent teams as they take their ideas to the next stage.
He also encouraged them to establish partnerships that could complement their capabilities and provide access to expertise, markets and other resources.
The NASENI chief executive further urged the innovators to maintain close contact with their prospective users, test their products, learn from failures and continuously improve their solutions.
Young innovators tackling local challenges
The Director of Programmes at AfriLabs, Nanko Madu, commended NASENI and the Federal Government for recognising innovation as an important driver of national development.
Madu also congratulated the beneficiaries and encouraged them to remain creative, resilient and entrepreneurial.
She said young Nigerians were increasingly developing technologies designed around local realities, including challenges relating to infrastructure, electricity and climate.
According to her, the emergence of such locally developed solutions could reduce dependence on imported technologies and foreign expertise.
From ideas to businesses
The award ceremony marked the conclusion of the maiden edition of NASENI’s innovation competitions.
The agency said the competitions were designed to identify innovative ideas with potential for commercialisation, job creation and contribution to Nigeria’s technological and industrial growth.
The initiative also provides a platform for innovators across different sectors and institutions to compete for funding and gain recognition for solutions targeted at practical challenges.
The event was attended by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe; Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Prof Matthew Adepoju; members of the NASENI management and other stakeholders.
With the latest grants, NASENI is seeking to move promising Nigerian innovations beyond the idea and prototype stages towards commercial products capable of serving local markets and supporting wider economic activity.