NASENI’s DELT-Her 2.0 Initiative is Bridging the Gap and Doubling Female Engineers in Nigeria

The National Science Engineering Initiative (NASENI) is committed to bridging the gender gap in engineering through its DELT-Her initiative.

At the DELT-Her 2.0 call for proposals in Abuja, on Monday, May 19th, 2025, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Halilu, reiterated the agency’s dedication to empowering women in the field.

Our goal is to double the number of female engineers in Nigeria within five years. Advancing gender balance and building a stronger and more inclusive technology sector, said Khalil Halilu.

The EVC went on to highlight the gender imbalance in Nigeria’s engineering workforce (5% women vs. 28% globally) and framed it as an opportunity to empower women. DELT-Her aims to promote women in STEM, ensuring they are at the forefront of innovation.

Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), Dr Mohammed Dahiru, also stated that

This initiative is designed to nurture talent and create and ecosystem that will ensure that women excel in the field of engineering

The representative of the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also emphasized women’s crucial role in Nigeria’s technology future, describing DELT-Her as “a strategic leverage for national transformation through inclusive innovation.”

In its first phase last year, DELT-Her successfully disbursed ₦70.5 million to six outstanding female engineers who developed pioneering solutions, including AI-powered soil monitoring, drone surveillance systems and sustainable automotive brake pads.

The DELT-Her 2.0 proposal portal is live here and will remain open until July 31, 2025. The initiative continues to unlock new pathways for Nigerian women in engineering to build, lead and scale transformative tech solutions.

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