By Onu Okorie

National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NASENI has challenged young Nigerians to harness innovation and technology to develop solutions to challenges confronting manufacturing xector and their communities.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, gave the charge as 60 young innovators drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones commenced the virtual hackathon phase of the FutureMakers by NASENI innovation programme on Tuesday.
Halilu said Nigeria must deliberately support young innovators with the infrastructure, mentorship and platforms needed to transform ideas into practical and commercially viable products.
“These 60 innovators represent what is possible when young Nigerians are equipped with the right infrastructure, mentorship and platform to solve the problems closest to them,” he said.
According to him, the FutureMakers initiative is designed to help Nigeria move from a consumer economy to a producer economy by empowering young Nigerians to develop technology-driven solutions to challenges in their communities.
The four-day virtual hackathon, which runs from August 17 to 20, will give participants the opportunity to develop prototypes and refine solutions addressing challenges peculiar to their respective regions.
The North-West cohort is focusing on gender-related barriers to innovation and creative thinking, while participants from the North-Central are developing solutions to food security challenges linked to regional insurgency.
In the North-East, innovators are working on conflict and security solutions, while the South-West cohort is addressing the rising cost of education for average Nigerian families.
Participants from the South-South are tackling weak links between academia and industry, while those from the South-East are developing solutions to the increasing involvement of children in trading at the expense of schooling.
The Hub Manager of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Beckley Perez-Folayan, said the regional structure was designed to ensure that participants worked on problems directly affecting their communities.
She added that the virtual format had widened access to the programme by removing the cost and logistical barriers associated with physical participation.
“The regional structure allows participants to develop solutions based on challenges directly affecting their communities,” she said.
Throughout the hackathon, the innovators are receiving technical guidance and mentorship as they work towards producing practical prototypes.
All 60 participants will advance to the FutureMakers Pitch Sessions scheduled for August 24 to 26, where they will present their solutions to a panel of judges and industry leaders.
The top three innovators in each geopolitical zone will receive N1.5 million, N1 million and N500,000 respectively.
The six zonal winners will subsequently compete at the NASENI Invention Fest for a N5 million grand prize, a fully funded international study tour and scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.