AfriLabs Takes Innovation Drive Nationwide, Awards ₦150m To Top Nigerian Innovators
From poultry farms and classrooms to technology hubs, young Nigerians are turning local problems into homegrown solutions – and a new nationwide innovation drive is putting money, mentorship and market access behind some of them.
AfriLabs, in partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), has taken its innovation support programme to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, reaching more than 3,500 young Nigerians.
Through the InnovateNaija and FutureMakers programmes, participants are being supported with mentorship, technical assistance, funding and opportunities to take locally developed solutions to market.
At the 2026 InnovateNaija Final Pitch and Awards Ceremony in Abuja, AfriLabs Director of Programmes, Nanko Madu, said the initiative was created to ensure talented innovators are discovered beyond Nigeria’s established technology hubs.
She said many Nigerian innovators were already developing solutions suited to the country’s unique challenges, including unreliable electricity, climate pressures, infrastructure gaps and limited purchasing power.
The initiative culminated in the selection of 36 state champions and 15 national finalists, with each state champion receiving ₦2.5 million.
The top three national winners received ₦100 million, ₦30 million and ₦20 million respectively.
The overall winner, Adaeze Ruth Akpagbula of Abia State, took home ₦100 million for her PenKeep Smart Poultry Climate Control System, developed through Farm Speak.
The agricultural engineer said the technology helps farmers manage environmental conditions in poultry, aquaculture, greenhouse and smart irrigation systems, while the prize money would enable the company to increase production and reach more farmers.
The programme has also attracted matching support from the governments of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Plateau and Kaduna, doubling the grants for their respective state champions to ₦5 million.
In Anambra, the state government said it had supported 111 start-ups with about ₦364 million, trained 264,000 people in digital skills and was developing a 13.7-hectare Solution Innovation District for technology entrepreneurs.
Beyond young adults, the FutureMakers programme is targeting children aged five to 16, with training in innovation, design thinking, leadership and entrepreneurship, including young people from underserved communities.
NASENI said the winners would continue to receive incubation, business development, technical support and investor-matching opportunities as they work towards commercialising their ideas.
The Federal Government is also pushing for a stronger financing framework for research and innovation, with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had forwarded a bill to the National Assembly seeking to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund.
The initiative marks a shift from simply identifying Nigerian talent to building pathways for promising ideas to move from the grassroots to the marketplace.
Join Our WhatsApp Community
