By 
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is set to kick off its FutureMakers Virtual Hackathon on Monday, bringing together 60 shortlisted tech innovators—aged just 5 to 16—to develop homegrown solutions for region-specific development challenges.
RELATED: NASENI, Gambia move to deepen technology, TVET and innovation cooperation
Running from 17 to 21 August 2026, the five-day virtual build sprint marks a defining moment in the agency’s drive to transition Nigeria from a consumer economy to a producer economy. The initiative, organised by the NASENI Innovation Hub, has drawn thousands of entries nationwide, with the final 60 participants representing all six geopolitical zones.
Zone-by-Zone Challenges Tackle Local Realities
Rather than applying a single national brief, FutureMakers adopts a deliberate zone-by-zone design. Each geopolitical zone will work on a distinct challenge statement drawn directly from its own lived realities.
Selected innovators will develop working solutions over the five-day sprint, supported by technical facilitators and mentors. Those who advance from the hackathon will progress to the live pitch sessions, scheduled for 24–26 August 2026, which will be streamed globally on YouTube and Facebook.
Prizes, Scholarships, and International Exposure Await Winners
The competition offers substantial rewards at both the zonal and national levels.
Zonal prizes include ₦1.5 million for the winner, ₦1 million for the first runner-up, and ₦500,000 for the second runner-up in each zone.
The top six winners from across all zones will secure a spot at the NASENI Invention Fest, where they will compete for a grand prize package that includes ₦5 million, a fully funded study tour abroad, and scholarships to two leading Nigerian universities.
NASENI CEO: ‘Six Zones, Six Challenges, One National Vision’
Speaking ahead of the event, the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, emphasised the programme’s national scope and local relevance.
“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.”
Beyond the Competition: Building a Lasting Talent Pipeline
The Hub Manager of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Beckley Perez-Folayan, noted that the initiative is far more than a one-off competition.
“This talent pipeline is not a one-off competition. Winners gain SparkLab access, mentorship, training and scholarship pathways alongside the ₦5,000,000 prize. The virtual format widens access to innovators beyond Abuja and Lagos. This is a working demonstration of government-backed innovation infrastructure delivering for young Nigerians.”
The programme provides successful participants with direct connections to NASENI’s engineering, prototyping, and commercialisation infrastructure, ensuring that bright ideas are not left to fade after the competition ends.
Strategic Partnerships Power the Initiative
FutureMakers by NASENI is delivered in collaboration with key 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 proud member of the AfriLabs network, further anchoring the initiative within Africa’s broader tech innovation ecosystem.
Launched on 11 December 2026, FutureMakers continues to identify, equip, and back early-stage innovators building technology-driven solutions for their own regions—proving that Nigeria’s next generation of problem-solvers is already here, and they are ready to build.
