FG, MIT to support 10 Nigerian innovators

L-R: Consultant to PICTT, Musa Ali Baba; Project Coordinator, Olamide Apejoye; Project Judge, Chief Tunde Rahman(Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media Special Duties); Chairman of PICTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru; MIT Solve Judge, Halima Tauheed during the announcement of a partnership with MIT Solve for Delta-2 and DELT-Her innovators on Thursday, November 12, 2026 in Abuja. Photo: Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Solve initiative to support 10 Nigerian innovators with a six-month acceleration programme aimed at improving the commercial viability of their inventions.

The selected innovators will emerge from the DELTA-2 and Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her programmes, initiatives designed to strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and promote the development of homegrown technologies.

The programme, to be implemented in collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer, will provide the innovators with technical support, mentorship and access to global networks to help them refine their business models and take their solutions to market.

Chairman of PICTT, Dr Dahiru Mohammed, disclosed this on Thursday during a media briefing at the committee’s office in Abuja.

He said, “20 innovators from the two programmes would pitch their solutions before a panel of judges, from which 10 would be selected for the six-month acceleration programme with MIT Solve in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.”

Mohammed explained that the selected participants would undergo an assessment to identify their individual and collective needs, enabling MIT Solve to develop tailored support programmes.

He said the intervention would help the innovators strengthen their business models, improve their pitches and develop the entrepreneurial leadership required to grow their ventures.

He stated, “The programme will also organise cohort engagements, bringing participants together with industry associations, academic institutions and other stakeholders to build partnerships and improve the visibility of Nigerian innovations.”

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Mohammed described the partnership as a significant opportunity for local innovators to access international expertise and networks with government backing.

He said, “The DELTA-2 Programme is focused on helping entrepreneurs access funding and partners from across the world to build on their innovations or to undertake research, development and innovation activities that would bring about commercially viable products that would help Nigeria’s industrial development.”

Explaining the focus of the second initiative, he said, “The second initiative is DELT-Her, which focuses on female engineers across Nigeria to access opportunities to showcase their research and innovations and get them to the market.”

He noted that Nigeria had a below-average representation of female engineers compared with the global average, making the programme important for expanding opportunities for women in engineering and technology.

The PICTT chairman said the collaboration with MIT Solve would accelerate the growth of innovators emerging from both programmes and improve their chances of developing commercially sustainable solutions.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure is mandated to promote the development of indigenous engineering capabilities and technological infrastructure to support industrialisation.

MIT Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, uses an open-innovation model to identify technology-driven solutions to global challenges and connects selected innovators with funding opportunities, mentorship, expertise and other resources.

The partnership is expected to bridge some of the gaps between research, innovation and commercialisation by connecting Nigerian entrepreneurs with international expertise and potential.

Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

Deborah Tolu-Kolawole is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with four years of experience covering Nigeria’s vast education sector as well as related areas such as politics, health, security, and labour. She blends rigorous reporting with digital storytelling to bring clarity and insight to complex issues affecting learners, educators, and policymakers. Deborah was a nominee for The Future Awards Africa (TFAA) Prize in Journalism, recognising her impactful reporting and contributions to Nigerian media. Her work reflects strong newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a commitment to accurate, audience-focused journalism. In addition to her reporting, she is fluent in multiple languages and serves as a contributing member of The Punch editorial board.

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