FutureMakers: NASENI Unleashes 60 Young Innovators in Six-Zone Hackathon, ₦5m Prize Up for Grabs
By Pan Afric Reporters
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has assembled 60 shortlisted innovators from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones for a five-day virtual hackathon aimed at developing technology-driven solutions to challenges confronting their respective regions, with participants also competing for cash prizes, scholarships and an overseas study tour.
The development was contained in a statement signed by Chima Akwaja, Deputy Director, Information, NASENI, dated August 16, 2026.
The FutureMakers by NASENI Virtual Hackathon and Pitch Sessions, organised by the NASENI Innovation Hub, begins Monday, August 17, and runs until Friday, August 21, while the subsequent pitch sessions are scheduled for August 24 to 26, 2026.
The 60 participants were selected from thousands of entries received for the competition and will work with technical facilitators and mentors during the five-day virtual build sprint to develop functional solutions addressing specific challenge statements from their respective geopolitical zones.
Innovators who successfully progress through the hackathon will proceed to the pitch sessions, where they will present their solutions before a panel of judges and industry leaders. The sessions will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.
₦1.5m, ₦1m, ₦500,000 prizes for zone winners
NASENI said winners from each geopolitical zone will receive ₦1.5 million, ₦1 million and ₦500,000 respectively, while the top six innovators will proceed to the agency’s NASENI Invention Fest.
The six finalists will compete for a ₦5 million grand prize, an overseas study tour and fully funded scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.
According to NASENI Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, the programme is designed to translate months of outreach and selection into practical solutions and viable ventures.
“FutureMakers Week is the culminating moment of the programme cycle, where months of outreach and selection turn into built solutions and backed ventures. Sixty innovators, six zones, six challenges: the programme is deliberately national in reach and local in problem definition,” Halilu said.
The Hub Manager, NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Beckley Perez-Folayan, described the initiative as a sustained talent-development pipeline rather than a one-off competition.
She said successful innovators would gain access to SparkLab, mentorship, training and scholarship opportunities in addition to the financial reward.
“This talent pipeline is not a one-off competition. Winners gain SparkLab access, mentorship, training and scholarship pathways alongside the ₦5,000,000 prize,” she said.
Perez-Folayan added that the virtual format would enable young innovators outside Abuja and Lagos to participate, describing the initiative as a practical demonstration of government-backed innovation infrastructure.
NASENI targets producer economy
The agency said FutureMakers is aligned with its mandate to support Nigeria’s transition from a consumer-based economy to a producer economy, with particular emphasis on indigenous technology, innovation and commercialisation.
Unlike competitions based on a single national challenge, FutureMakers adopts a zone-specific approach, requiring innovators from each geopolitical zone to develop solutions based on challenges arising from their own local realities.
NASENI said the approach was intended to ensure that innovation is closely connected to the needs of communities while providing young Nigerians with access to technical expertise and commercialisation opportunities.
The programme is being delivered in collaboration with academic and ecosystem partners, including MIVA Open University and the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja. The NASENI Innovation Hub is also a member of the AfriLabs network.
The agency said FutureMakers is designed to identify, equip and support early-stage Nigerian innovators and connect them to NASENI’s engineering, prototyping and commercialisation infrastructure.
The release states that FutureMakers was “launched on December 11, 2026,” which conflicts with the release date of August 16, 2026 and the August 17–26, 2026 programme schedule. That date appears to require correction before publication.
