NASENI, AfriLabs boost home-grown products with N237.5m

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), in partnership with AfriLabs, has offered the support of N237.5 million fund through the launch InnovateNaija Challenge. The initiative designed to discover, empower, and fund the next generation of Nigerian innovators opened the nationwide contest for them to present ideas and products for a chance to […]

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), in partnership with AfriLabs, has offered the support of N237.5 million fund through the launch InnovateNaija Challenge.

The initiative designed to discover, empower, and fund the next generation of Nigerian innovators opened the nationwide contest for them to present ideas and products for a chance to win significant funding and receive technical support.

During the launch at the GITEX Nigeria Startup Festival 2025, Special Adviser on Commercialisation to the Executive Vice-Chairman of NASENI, Anas Balarabe Yazid said the challenge was aimed to catalyze the growth of local inventions in science, engineering, and manufacturing.

Yazid emphasized the essence of the initiative, stressing that it would promote home-grown products into solutions that work locally and scale globally.

He further encouraged aspiring innovators to throw their hats into the ring.

“If you have built something that works, even if it’s rough around the edges, this stage is for you.

“Build here, sell to the world; innovation lives in every LGA- let’s give it a lift; with the right support, Nigerian ingenuity becomes Nigerian industry,” he said.

According to him, the overall winner will get N100m to commercialize their innovation, N30 million for the first runner-up and N20 million for the second runner-up.

He added that the 35 state winners will receive N2.5 million each, saying they will also be admitted into the NASENI Innovation Hub incubation program.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande described the initiative as a platform for every young Nigerian to contribute to the future of our nation.

“We are building a process that is open, inclusive, and empowering. For our youth, InnovateNaija will: Provide visibility for your innovative ideas. It will connect you

with resources, mentors, and investors to push your innovations forward.

“It will also improve Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, so that creativity will grow into businesses that create jobs and wealth,” he said