DELT-Her 2.0: NASENI’s Bold Push to Rewrite Nigeria’s Engineering Future Through Women

A quiet shift in Nigeria’s technology landscape gained fresh momentum as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) awarded N229 million to 14 women engineers under the second edition of its Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her) initiative. The award ceremony held at NASENI headquarters Abuja, drew a wide cast of government officials, […]

A quiet shift in Nigeria’s technology landscape gained fresh momentum as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) awarded N229 million to 14 women engineers under the second edition of its Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her) initiative.

The award ceremony held at NASENI headquarters Abuja, drew a wide cast of government officials, industry leaders and professional bodies who described the programme as one of the country’s most promising interventions for strengthening indigenous innovation and expanding opportunities for women in engineering.

The programme implemented in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), is the latest outcome of a scheme that has rapidly grown in size and visibility. This year, 9,925 proposals were submitted, a dramatic rise from the 120 applications received during the first edition in 2024, when six awardees shared N70.5 million in grant support.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the surge reflects rising interest among Nigerian women eager to develop engineering solutions that can address the country’s pressing socio-economic challenges. He said DELT-Her is designed to serve as an “opportunity platform through which women can turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that change the world.”

Halilu explained that the Agency sees gender inclusion as a strategic investment in national development. “Every woman empowered through DELT-Her represents new capacity for the nation’s technology and manufacturing ecosystem with a unique perspective that drives better designs, smarter products and more human-centred innovation,” he said.

The 14 projects selected this year covered several key sectors, including agriculture, clean energy, health, mobility, digital security and environmental sustainability. He noted that the programme has also grown its outreach to younger girls in secondary schools.

From mentoring 30 schoolgirls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 2024, DELT-Her expanded this year to 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT, providing mentorship, bootcamps and fabrication kits that enabled many of them to build their first engineering prototypes. According to him, the widening impact shows that DELT-Her is not limited to supporting professionals but is beginning to inspire a corps of future innovators.

The Chairman of PICTT, Dr Mohammed Dahiru, praised the awardees for demonstrating the capacity and determination that women bring to the STEM space. He said their success reflects the importance of sustaining initiatives that close gender gaps in engineering and technology. “As we honour these milestones, let us recommit to sustaining this momentum, ensuring that DELT-Her continues to bridge gaps and drive national development,” he said.

Some of the strongest backing for the initiative came from the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi. Describing DELT-Her as a defining moment in the country’s development journey, he said nations that exclude women from STEM effectively operate at half capacity.

“When we exclude women, we cut the country’s capacity in half; but when we empower women, we double our strength, creativity, and collective wisdom,” he said. Akpabio reaffirmed the commitment of the 10th Senate to support NASENI’s drive for indigenous production, local content development and gender inclusion in engineering and innovation.

“We believe that a nation that builds its technology builds its destiny; and a nation that empowers its women secures its future,” he added. The Senate President said Nigeria’s economy urgently requires a shift from consumption to production and argued that such a transformation cannot happen without strong STEM participation, especially by women.

He praised women who are already designing renewable energy systems, improving agricultural technology, developing digital tools for health and education and leading scientific research. According to him, the DELT-Her awardees are “nation builders” who show that excellence has no gender.

He also commended NASENI’s evolving outreach and urged Halilu to extend the programme to schools, industries and communities. He assured NASENI and PICTT of the National Assembly’s continued legislative, budgetary and policy support to promote inclusive innovation and gender-responsive STEM education.

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Udoka, also commended NASENI and PICTT, saying their work aligns closely with the Federal Government’s agenda for technological independence, industrial growth, gender inclusion and competitiveness. She said such initiative will boost local content development, create jobs and strengthen the country’s economic standing.

Furthermore, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) conveyed strong institutional support for the programme. Its President, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, said she witnessed the first edition where female engineers benefited and was pleased to see the expansion to 14 awardees this year.

She said the NSE will partner with the beneficiaries to ensure their projects create significant impact. She noted that NASENI is not only supporting women but also investing in STEM education for schoolchildren, an area the society also prioritizes.

She said the NSE believes women must be given equal opportunities in engineering, which she insisted “is for both men and women.” In a major gesture of support, she announced that the 14 awardees would receive automatic membership of the NSE if they are not already registered with a professional body.

Lending her voice, the Executive Director of Business Development at Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), Hon. Stella Okotete, described the ceremony as more than a celebratory gathering. She said it was “a bold statement on the future of engineering, innovation and national development, which must include and be reshaped by women.”

She argued that for too long, science and technology had been treated as male-dominated spaces, even though women continue to prove their capacity across fields. “From designing labs to the boardroom, from the policy desk to the project site, women continue to redefine what is possible,” she said.

Okotete said NASENI’s investment in DELT-Her reflects an understanding that empowering women in engineering is a fundamental nation-building strategy. “When a woman engineer designs to build with empathy, perception and purpose; when a woman leads, she opens doors for others to follow,” she said.

She referenced female-driven innovations across areas such as onion storage to reduce scarcity, recycling initiatives that create jobs and the development of Neem oil from trees abundant across northern Nigeria. She said women are not only shaping the future but reshaping the present by building new ecosystems of innovation.

She encouraged the awardees to use their achievements to inspire others and dismantle barriers for girls who aspire to become engineers. She also said NEXIM Bank is ready to partner with the beneficiaries to commercialise their products through its youth and women empowerment platform.

Also, the Postmaster-General and Chief Executive of Nigerian Post Service (NIPOST), Engr. Tola Odeyemi, praised the initiative as a powerful platform showcasing the ingenuity and resilience of women who are transforming Nigeria’s scientific and technological space.

She said engineering is more than a profession; it is a way of thinking that blends discipline and creativity to solve problems. She said DELT-Her reinforces the diversity of thought needed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for innovation. She congratulated the awardees and commended the leadership of NASENI and PICTT.

Goodwill messages also came from representatives of the Minister of State for FCT, the Director-General of PenCom, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), all expressing support for NASENI and the DELT-Her initiative.

The ceremony, attended by leaders from government, industry and professional bodies, underscored the growing recognition that expanding opportunities for women in engineering is crucial to Nigeria’s quest for technological advancement. With 9,925 applications, 14 awardees, N229 million disbursed and over 150 schoolgirls mentored this year alone, DELT-Her 2.0 is emerging as one of the country’s most ambitious and impactful STEM empowerment programmes.

For many of the speakers, the message of the day was clear: Nigeria’s journey toward innovation and industrial self-reliance must be built by all its talents, and women will play a defining role in shaping that future.