Nigerian innovators with promising prototypes now have a new pathway to turn their ideas into viable businesses, as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) unveils an accelerator programme offering up to $25,000 in support per cohort.
The initiative, called NASENI xceler8, is being run through the NASENI Innovation Hub in partnership with AfriLabs, described as Africa’s largest network of innovation and technology hubs.
The agency, in a statement on Tuesday, disclosed that organizers plan to accelerate 100 innovators, refine 100 Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and generate at least 400 direct and indirect jobs across four cohorts.
Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by his Special Adviser on ICT, Engineer Bashir Aliyu, said genuine innovation should be judged not by the volume of ideas, research papers, or prototypes produced, but by whether they evolve into products that solve real problems, attract investment, generate jobs, and hold their own in the marketplace.
Halilu said the programme targets innovators who already possess functional prototypes, MVPs, or live commercial products backed by evidence of market demand. Selected participants will receive support spanning product refinement, business development, market access, technical mentorship, industry networking, and investment readiness.
He argued that commercialization is central to Nigeria’s economic transformation, warning that innovations confined to laboratories fail to deliver their full social and economic potential. Successful commercialization, he added, builds industries, generates intellectual property, creates jobs, opens investment opportunities, and strengthens local problem-solving capacity.
Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Mrs. Busola Perez-Folayan, described the programme as offering a structured journey from onboarding and mentorship through to market validation and investment readiness.
She said participants would receive acceleration support worth up to $25,000 per cohort, while the top 10 innovators from each cohort will pitch to investors and industry stakeholders at a Demo Day in Abuja.
Eligibility is open to Nigerians aged 15 to 40 who have functional MVPs or live commercial products with evidence of paying customers. Applicants must present science, engineering, or technology-driven solutions and show a commitment to national development.
AfriLabs Executive Director, Mrs. Nanko Madu, said the partnership reflects a shared ambition to build an innovation ecosystem capable of converting Nigerian ingenuity into commercial and industrial success.
She noted that AfriLabs’ network of over 540 innovation hubs spanning 54 African countries would link participants with mentors, investors, accelerators, corporate partners, and markets across the continent.
Nigeria, she said, does not lack talent or ideas, but needs stronger systems to help promising innovations progress beyond the prototype stage into scalable businesses.
Managing Director of Vidaho Limited, Mr. Austin Onele, also speaking at the event, pointed to the heavy financing needs of deep-tech ventures, noting that such businesses require substantial investment across research, engineering, certification, manufacturing, and commercialization.
