NASENI Teams Up with AfriLabs to Launch InnovateNaija: A ₦250 Million Youth Innovation Challenge

Nigeria is on the brink of an innovation revolution, and InnovateNaija is designed to inspire, empower, and showcase the nation’s brightest minds. The InnovateNaija competition is not just a challenge; it’s a movement! This initiative seeks to identify, empower, and support homegrown, game-changing innovations in science, engineering, or manufacturing across Nigeria. To achieve this, the competition offers a total prize pool of ₦250 million, with the grand prize winner receiving ₦100 million to help bring their innovation to life.

Launching on September 4, 2025, at GITEX Nigeria on the 10x Stage at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, InnovateNaija aims to drive innovation across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria by inviting young Nigerians to submit their most creative inventions and products through engaging video entries. The competition will unfold over three exciting months and will consist of two phases. In the first phase, the top 37 innovators—one from each state and the FCT—will be selected through a dynamic process that includes public voting. Each of these 37 winners will receive a grant of ₦2.5 million to help further develop their innovations.

The excitement does not end there. The top 15 innovators from the state-level competitions will advance to the grand finale pitch event at the NASENI Invention Fest in Abuja in February 2026. Here, they will showcase their products to a panel of expert judges and key stakeholders. The stakes will be incredibly high as the top three national winners are determined. The grand prize winner will receive a ₦100 million grant, providing a fantastic opportunity to elevate their innovation to the next level.

InnovateNaija also marks the pre-launch of the NASENI Innovation Hub, designed to bridge the support gap for innovators, enhance collaboration, and accelerate the development of market-ready products in Nigeria’s tech and entrepreneurial landscape. The Innovation Hub will provide critical infrastructure, mentorship, capacity building, and funding opportunities, serving as a launchpad for Nigerian innovators to transform ideas into scalable businesses.

“As we gear up towards the launch of the InnovateNaija Challenge, which is set to identify, empower, and support Nigeria’s most promising young innovators in science, engineering, and manufacturing, we at NASENI are committed to fostering an environment where these innovations can thrive. The InnovateNaija Challenge is an incredible opportunity, offering funding to 37 outstanding youths to bring their ideas to life. To complement this national movement, NASENI has established an Innovation Hub in Abuja, Nigeria, to serve as a breeding ground for transformative ideas and technologies, ensuring that the spark ignited by the InnovateNaija Challenge is nurtured into scalable and real-world solutions. The NASENI Innovation Hub strengthens research and development across key scientific and engineering disciplines, with a clear focus on advancing Nigeria’s technological capabilities and promoting homegrown solutions to our unique challenges, not just in Nigeria but across Africa.” – Khalil Sulaiman Halilu, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI. 

“At AfriLabs, we believe in the power of homegrown innovation to drive Africa’s development, and InnovateNaija is a testament to this belief. By empowering innovators across all states in Nigeria, this competition not only fuels creativity but also strengthens the innovation ecosystem. We are excited to support NASENI in this groundbreaking initiative that will spotlight Nigerian ingenuity and provide the resources needed to scale impactful solutions.” – Anna Ekeledo, Executive Director at AfriLabs. 

The official InnovateNaija launch will be held on Thursday, September 4, where stakeholders, media professionals, and key partners will gather to discuss the vision and impact of this transformative competition. We invite you to attend and cover this exciting event as we unveil more details about the competition and how Nigerians can participate.

Join the movement. Ignite innovation. This is InnovateNaija!

About NASENI 

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is a purpose-built intervention agency of the Federal Government under the Presidency whose mandate includes nurturing an appropriate and dynamic science and engineering infrastructure base for achieving home-initiated and home-sustained industrialisation for Nigeria. The mandate of the Agency includes the development of relevant processes, capital goods and equipment necessary for job creation, national economic well-being and progress. The Agency took a deliberate interest in key areas of science and engineering development because any nation that aspires to attain socio-economic transformation must invest in them to foster competition. Find out more about NASENI and the InnovateNaija Challenge.

About AfriLabs 

AfriLabs is one of the largest networks of technology and innovation hubs across Africa, driving the growth of Africa’s innovation ecosystem. With a mission to support the development of the African technology and innovation ecosystem, AfriLabs connects hubs and other stakeholders to facilitate collaboration, resource sharing, and knowledge transfer. Find out more about AfriLabs here.

For media enquiries and interview requests, please contact [email protected] for further details on the InnovateNaija Challenge, or send an email to [email protected].

BellaNaija is a Media Partner for InnovateNaija Challenge