The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has announced the launch of Innovate Naija, a nationwide program aimed at unlocking the ingenuity of Nigeria’s youth.

The initiative was unveiled at the maiden edition of GITEX Nigeria in Lagos. It is backed by the Presidency, powered by NASENI, and supported by AfriLabs.

With a total fund of N250 million, including a N100 million grand prize, Innovate Naija is Nigeria’s biggest innovation challenge and one of West Africa’s largest.

The program seeks to support grassroots innovators, scale youth-led solutions across Africa, and demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to solve its own problems.

Halilu underscored the vision behind the initiative by citing the story of a young man in Kano who built a water purifier from everyday materials without access to a laboratory or investors.

“He has no lab, no investors, just resilience. To support thousands of stories like his, we launched Innovate Naija,” he said.

Applications are now open via https://innovation.naseni.gov.ng/innovatenaija-campaign.