SGF Receives 6 Winners of NASENI Innovation Competition’s N162m Grants

Following the successful conclusion of the maiden NASENI Innovation Assessment and Awards (NIAA), the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has formally presented the top six winners from both the Inter-Agency and Intra-Agency categories to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON.

The NIAA, organised under the theme “Driving Innovation, Accelerating Industrialisation, Transforming Nigeria,” awarded a total of ₦140 million in development grants to three winning Inter-Agency projects and ₦22.5 million in cash prizes to another three top Intra-Agency winners from NASENI and its Institutes to support, scale, and commercialise their technological solutions.

Speaking during the official presentation of the winners to the SGF, Mr Khalil Sulieman Halilu, highlighted the strategic intent behind the initiative, noting that public servants remain the driving force behind the country’s technological advances.

According to him, NASENI’s expanding footprint across the nation, including the facilitation of over 20 factories and the development of more than 40 indigenous products, was made possible by the dedication of public servants working behind the scenes.

“We realised that civil servants have been the ones behind this very amazing growth,” Halilu stated. “That is why we dedicated funds and resources specifically for these innovators who are working hard in public service.”

Reaffirming the Agency’s strategic direction, the NASENI boss emphasised that the initiative remains firmly anchored on NASENI’s core pillars of Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation (3Cs), moving research out of laboratories into practical, market-ready solutions that address national security, energy, and economic needs.

Outlining the background and rigour of the selection process, the Director of Manufacturing Services at NASENI and Chairman of the Innovation Awards Committee, Engr. Dr Olayode A. Olasupo revealed that 678 users registered on the online submission portal built by NASENI ICT, yielding 261 complete entries (180 intra-agency and 81 inter-agency submissions) across thematic areas, including engineering design, software development, renewable energy, healthcare, and agriculture.

Engr. Dr Olasupo explained that following a two-stage preliminary screening, which deployed specialised computer algorithms for compliance review, followed by expert technical evaluation, twenty finalists (ten from each category) progressed to physical pitching at NASENI Headquarters.

The finalists defended their technical and commercial propositions before an independent panel of physical assessors drawn from industry and academia to ensure absolute transparency, fairness, and credibility.

Giving details of the financial rewards, Engr. Dr Olasupo announced that a total development grant of ₦140 million was approved by the EVC/CEO of NASENI for the top three winning teams in the Inter-Agency category to prototype and scale their products, while a total cash prize of ₦22.5 million was awarded across the top three winning staff members in the Intra-Agency category.

The Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Mrs Busola Perez-Folayan, noted that the Hub will now provide tailored incubation support, business development, and investor-matching to transition these winning ideas into scalable, commercialised market products. The winners presented to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation include: Inter-Agency Category (₦140 Million Total Development Grant):

1st Position: Mr Idowu Ajigbon and his team from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, for their Tactical Deep Surveillance Wearable Jacket—a smart security jacket designed to enhance real-time situational awareness, personnel safety, and tactical communication for security agencies.

2nd Position: Mr Temitope Badmus and his team from the Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), Zaria, for the Extraction and Development of Nilest-Tan for Leather Industries, which promotes local production of leather tanning chemicals and lowers production costs.

3rd Position: Mr Isaac Johnson Ajeh and his team from the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, for their project on Valorisation of Plantain Peel Waste: Development and Standardisation of High-Potency Vitamin C, converting agricultural waste into pharmaceutical raw materials.

NASENI Intra-Agency Category (₦22.5 Million Total Cash Prize):

1st Position: Mr Yusuf Usman (NASENI HQ – Individual) for NASENI MART: A Digital E-Commerce Platform for Made-in-Nigeria Products, a digital marketplace built with multi-lingual capabilities to connect consumers directly to indigenous engineering products.

2nd Position: Mr Benjamin Nweke (NASENI ELDI-Awka) for the Construction of a Solar-Powered Standalone Cooking Station for Food Vendor Empowerment, providing clean, affordable, and reliable cooking energy to food vendors.

3rd Position: Engr. Mikairu Aminu Abu (NASENI NSEL-Karshi – Individual) for the Design and Development of an Off-Grid Solar-Powered Cassava Dryer, aimed at improving post-harvest preservation and boosting rural farm incomes.

Receiving the delegation and the innovators, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) commended NASENI for its leadership and transparent evaluation process. The SGF praised the ingenuity of public servants and assured NASENI of the Federal Government’s total support to ensure that these homegrown engineering innovations receive the necessary backing to drive Nigeria’s industrial transformation.