The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure has urged young Nigerian innovators to develop practical and marketable solutions capable of addressing the country’s pressing challenges.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, gave the charge as 60 young innovators from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones commenced the virtual hackathon phase of the FutureMakers by NASENI innovation programme on Tuesday.
Halilu said Nigeria needed to deliberately support young innovators with the infrastructure, mentorship and platforms required to transform ideas into products.
“These 60 innovators represent what is possible when young Nigerians are equipped with the right infrastructure, mentorship and platform to solve the problems closest to them,” he said.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at helping Nigeria move from a consumer economy to a producer economy by empowering young Nigerians to develop solutions to challenges in their communities.
The four-day virtual hackathon, which runs from August 17 to 20, will enable participants to develop prototypes and refine technology-driven solutions addressing challenges peculiar to their regions.
The North-West cohort is focusing on gender-related barriers to innovation and creative thinking, while participants from the North-Central are developing solutions to food security challenges linked to regional insurgency.
In the North-East, innovators are working on conflict and security solutions, while the South-West cohort is addressing the rising cost of education for average Nigerian families.
Participants from the South-South are tackling weak connections between academia and industry, while those from the South-East are developing solutions to the increasing involvement of children in trading at the expense of schooling.
The Hub Manager of NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Beckley Perez-Folayan, said the regional structure was designed to ensure that participants worked on problems directly affecting their communities.
She said the virtual format had also widened access by removing the cost and logistical barriers associated with physical participation.
“The regional structure allows participants to develop solutions based on challenges directly affecting their communities,” she said.
The innovators are receiving technical guidance and mentorship throughout the hackathon as they work towards developing practical prototypes.
All 60 participants will proceed to the FutureMakers Pitch Sessions scheduled for August 24 to 26, where they will present their solutions to a panel of judges and industry leaders.
The pitch sessions will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.
The top three innovators in each geopolitical zone will receive N1.5 million, N1 million and N500,000 respectively.
The six zonal winners will subsequently compete at the NASENI Invention Fest for a N5 million grand prize, a fully funded international study tour and scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.
NASENI said the initiative goes beyond prize money, with successful innovators gaining access to its SparkLab prototyping facility, technical training and personalised mentorship.
Selected participants will also have the opportunity to participate in an international study tour with the NASENI EVC/CEO.
The agency said the FutureMakers campaign had generated more than 2.6 million impressions and attracted over 20 media placements.
The programme is being implemented in collaboration with academic and ecosystem partners, including MIVA Open University and the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.
NASENI said FutureMakers was conceived as a talent pipeline for early-stage Nigerian innovators, providing access to funding, mentorship, training and engineering and prototyping infrastructure to help turn ideas into commercially viable solutions.