The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has unveiled its Innovation Hub, alongside the Future Makers Programme, a national initiative designed to groom young Nigerians aged five to sixteen as future technologists, problem solvers, and innovation leaders.
The launch, held at the NASENI Innovation Hub in Abuja, opened with remarks by Dr Anas Yazid Balarabe, Special Assistant to the EVC on Science and Engineering Commercialisation, who shared how an early opportunity in 1997 shaped his journey from a Kano secondary school student to a global-trained engineer and senior adviser. He said one well-designed intervention at a young age could transform an entire lifetime, noting that the Future Makers Programme aims to replicate such an impact for thousands of Nigerian children.
In his keynote address, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, explained that the initiative would cultivate young innovators by preparing their mindsets from an early age. He stressed that exposing children to technology and scientific curiosity between the ages of five and sixteen would equip them with the confidence and skills to compete globally. The programme, he added, complements NASENI's wider talent-development pipeline, including Innovate Niger for older youth, with the deliberate strategy to "catch them early," just as promising athletes are discovered at very young ages.
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The Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Rachael Oluwabusola Pérez-Folayan, who declared the programme officially open, said it would groom young problem-solvers and nurture them into innovation giants, adding that the Hub would serve as the launchpad for Nigeria's next generation of inventors.
At the event, NASENI detailed how the programme would progress from nationwide applications and baseline research into zonal hackathons across the six geopolitical zones, during which children will receive training in design thinking, leadership, robotics, coding and business development. The best innovators from each zone will proceed to pitch their prototypes at the NASENI Invention Fest, scheduled for February. The eventual national winner will receive ₦5 million, while other finalists will benefit from scholarships to top Nigerian universities and an international study tour with the EVC. Halilu added that every applicant, even those not selected into the primary cohort, would receive at least one training module to ensure broad educational impact. Programme data presented at the launch showed that fewer than one per cent of Nigerian children aged five to sixteen currently participate in innovation-focused activities, a gap NASENI hopes to close by deliberately expanding access nationwide.
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During a media engagement, journalists raised concerns about inclusivity and grassroots mobilisation. Responding, Mr Halilu said NASENI's target is to reach as many young Nigerians as possible and urged the media to amplify the programme. He noted that the Agency will measure first-year success through mindset shifts, growing interest in STEM among children, and national participation data that feed into its broader innovation ecosystem.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Francis Ezenwa, commended the initiative, saying it aligns with the National Assembly's vision of building a nation where creativity is actively supported and sustained. A compelling moment at the launch came when Dr Balarabe reflected on how a single intervention changed his life, saying, "Where my principal knocked on the door for one child in Kano, NASENI is today knocking on the doors of thousands across Nigeria." The event concluded with the official unveiling of the NASENI Innovation Hub and the grand opening of the Future Makers Programme.
