NASENI’s ₦140m Grant For Inter-Agency Competition Raises Bar On Nigeria’s Innovation Ecosystem

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has taken another important step to boost Nigeria’s technology and innovation ecosystem through a well-thought out Inter-agency Competition and Awards where the agency has earmarked a whopping ₦140 million grant to benefit the participants.

This initiative is planned to increase the commitment of civil servants to sustain the efforts at promoting indigenous technology and innovation as a strategic means of reducing excessive importation and strengthening local content development.

The competition will energize staff of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and it was flagged off by a roadshow that took place in Abuja on Monday, January 13, 2026 as the show of solidarity and enthusiasm is already palpable among the agencies, which have expressed their willingness to fully participate in the exercise.

This is one of the numerous initiatives of the leadership of the NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu in the past two years that have repositioned the Agency and made it the fulcrum of collaboration not just with sister agencies but with international organizations to ensure massive industrialization of Nigeria and the commercialization of the country’s products to make them competitive in the global market.

Therefore, NASENI, which has the statutory mission “to develop and maintain a dynamic infrastructure to drive Nigeria’s indigenous industrialization, job creation and national progress for the country,” has become the most veritable platform to drive this Inter-Agency Innovation Competition & Awards.

The competition will strategically exploit and harness innovation of the various federal MDAs to promote collaboration and creativity for the growth and development of the country.

The roadshow, which was organized by the Standing Committee on NASENI Inter-Agency Innovation Competition commenced at the Old Federal Secretariat Complex, Area 1 Garki, Abuja and concluded at the New Federal Secretariat Complex, Eagle Square. It was a demonstration of purpose and collective will of the civil servants to be part of the profound effort to transform Nigeria to a global hub of innovation and productivity.

The roadshow was not just to sensitize civil servants working at various federal ministries and parastatals to participate in the competition, it was an assemblage of great minds and talent pool with the drive to see Nigeria thrive in various sectors that will enhance the country’s position in the innovation and creative sector and engage its citizens in line with the industrialization agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

As members of the committee clad in NASENI-branded sportwear visited various offices within the Secretariat complexes, engaging staff and distributing flyers containing key information about the programme, their advocacy and sensitisation attracted thousands of civil servants who were eager to know more about the innovation competition.

The Chairman, Inter-Agency Innovation Competition Assessment and Award committee and Director, Manufacturing Services at NASENI, Engr. Dr Olasupo Olayode, spoke shortly after the exercise, stressing that the competition specifically targets staff of Federal MDAs who have lots of innovative ideas which can be turned into solutions that can address national challenges.

He noted that NASENI is committed to promoting indigenous technology and innovation as a strategic means of reducing excessive importation and strengthening local content development, saying “there are lots of potential in the federal government staff and NASENI will not like them to retire without their talents being harnessed.

“Together, we can unlock our nation’s potential through innovation in science, engineering and technology. Join the movement by submitting entry”, he said, adding that the Federal Government through its Renewed Hope Agenda is serious about harnessing talents to build a modern and industrialized Nigeria.

In order to display the essence of the event, an application portal https://naseni.gov.ng/innovation/ is currently open to receive applications, and qualified applicants stand to benefit from a ₦140 million grant earmarked for the initiative.

Judging by the unwavering ambition of the NASENI boss to move Nigeria to the next level, he has offered enormous support and reaffirmed the Agency’s resolve to intensify efforts in research, innovation, collaboration and commercialisation of technology to drive Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.

Federal ministries and agencies visited during the advocacy exercise included the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; the Ministry of Interior; the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); the Federal Ministry of Health; and the Federal Ministry of Education, among others.

This specific initiative amongst the MDAs seeks to harness innovative ideas that can drive technological advancement and address pressing challenges facing the nation amongst public servants.

The MDAs staff are expected to propose innovative solutions in various sectors, including health, agriculture, education, and infrastructure, leveraging science and technology to enhance public service delivery and improve the quality of life for Nigerians.

The spirit of the competition is already high among the federal MDAs and it will surely be an event to express their energy, talents, innovation and productivity to benefit the country.

In this regard, the management of the National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA), a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Science Technology & Innovation (STI), has promised that its staff would participate in the Inter-Agency innovation competition.

This was disclosed last week Friday, January 9, 2025, when the Chairman of the Inter-Agency Innovation Competition, Engr. Dr. Olayode Olasupo, who doubles as Director, Manufacturing Services Department, NASENI, led other members of the committee on a sensitization visit to NASDRA headquarters in Abuja.

Receiving the team, Director-General of NASRDA Dr. Matthew Olumide Adepoju represented by the Director, Mission Planning and Data Management, NASDRA, Dr. Alaga Aboyomi, said the Agency was very happy for the visit and would ensure that its staff submit entries for the innovation competition.

Other members of the NASENI Inter-Agency Innovation competition include: Senior State Counsel, Barr. Abdulkarim Abdullahi; Director Information New Media and Protocol, NASENI, Mr. Olusegun Ayeoyenikan; Dr. Okesola Abayomi; Head of ICT NASENI, Dr. Kehinde Samuel Ajakaiye and Member, Chairman, Technical Staff Association of NASENI, Engr. Dr. Sayeed Shuaibu.

The focus under the NASENI CEO is on home-grown innovations as pivotal paths to Nigerian’s yearning for industrial development as NASENI seeks innovative solutions that would support its 3Cs framework to ensure that the innovativeness and talents in staff are not wasted, and that all MDAs have such staff in abundance.

The Inter-agency Innovation Competition, among other initiatives like InnovateNaija, NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme and FutureMakers and NASENI Innovation Hub, are ideas that are geared to crystallize into practical products, goods and services.

Contributing, the Director of Space Regulation and Spectrum Management, Engr. Dr. Aiyeola Sikiru Yommy, expressed his support for the initiative, stating that it was timely for Federal Government MDAs and will encourage NASRDA staff’s participation. The competitive spirit is high, the purpose is profound and the enthusiasm is absolutely encouraging among the MDAs.