President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to building a robust innovation ecosystem that will transform Nigerian ideas into viable enterprises, productive industries and globally competitive products.

The President gave the assurance on Wednesday at the InnovateNaija Awards Ceremony 2026 organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, said Nigerian innovators are critical drivers of national prosperity and that their ability to develop practical solutions demonstrates the initiative and confidence required to build a productive Nigeria.

He said the award was more than a prize, but an investment in capacity to contribute to Nigeria’s economic and industrial transformation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

At the ceremony, NASENI awarded a total of N435.5 million in grants to innovators across Nigeria under its maiden InnovateNaija, Future Makers, Intra-Agency and Inter-Agency innovation competitions.

The highlight of the event was the InnovateNaija national winner, Adaeze Ruth Akpagbula from Abia State, who received N100 million for her innovation – PenKeep Smart Poultry Climate Control System, a technology designed to help farmers manage climate-related challenges in poultry, aquaculture and greenhouse farming. She is the co-founder of Farm Speak.

Oluwatoyin Ogundeji from Ondo State and Aminu Saleh Jino from Katsina State emerged first and second runners-up, receiving N30 million and N20 million respectively. The 37 state champions, including the Federal Capital Territory, received N2.5 million each.

Similarly, six winners emerged from the NASENI Intra-Agency and Inter-Agency competitions, receiving a combined N162 million. Three winners from the Inter-Agency category shared N140 million, while N22.5 million was shared among three winners from the Intra-Agency category.

The top six finalists in the Future Makers competition, a youth innovation programme for Nigerians aged 5 to 16, received a combined N23 million, with the overall winner receiving N5 million.

The Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the agency is repositioning around “Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation” to bridge the gap between research and the marketplace. He disclosed that NASENI has facilitated 20 factories and developed over 40 products within two years.

He said the competitions were designed to identify innovative ideas capable of being developed into commercial ventures, creating jobs and contributing to Nigeria’s technological renewal.