NASENI Launches FutureMakers To Empower Young Nigerians On Long-term Innovation 

• To select 60 kids, 10 from each six geopolitical zone for 3 months cohort

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has launched FutureMakers, a nationwide initiative to identify, nurture and empower young Nigerian innovators aged five to 16, marking a major push to secure the country’s long-term innovation future.

The FutureMakers is a strategic extension of NASENI’s broader mandate of industrial transformation through creation, collaboration and commercialisation.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Thursday, NASENI Executive Vice-Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the programme aligns with global best practices where leading innovation economies invest early in young talent.

He cited the United States’ FIRST Robotics, India’s Atal Innovation Mission, and the United Kingdom’s TeenTech as examples of how early exposure shapes lifelong innovators.

Halilu said: “If we want a future of world-class innovators, we must start shaping them early. Today, Nigeria joins that league through FutureMakers. This is our commitment to ensuring our children are not left behind in the global innovation race.”

He added that the programme is designed to build technical confidence early, develop problem-solvers, groom future STEM leaders, and feed talent into NASENI’s incubation and acceleration pipeline.

“Through NASENI Institutes across the six geopolitical zones, children selected for the programme will receive training in design thinking, engineering basics, creativity and the use of technology.

“They will also participate in mentorship schemes, access prototyping tools, and compete in hackathons and pitch days. We are creating a cycle where a child’s curiosity today becomes Nigeria’s breakthrough tomorrow,” he said.

Halilu urged parents to encourage creativity, teachers to make innovation a daily experience, and the private sector to fund challenges, sponsor regions, and support prototypes.

Halilu described the initiative as a seed that will grow into Nigeria’s innovation destiny. “This is from policy to action. This is how nations rise,” he concluded.

Speaking in similar vein, Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Racheal Perez-Folayan, stated that applications are open to Nigerian children aged 5–16, including skilled young artisans.

She said 60 children, 10 from each geopolitical zone, will be selected for the inaugural three-month cohort starting December 2025, adding that successful applicants will receive technical and leadership training, financial support and access to innovation resources.

According to Perez-Folayan “Top performers will be awarded prizes of up to N5 million, scholarships, and an exclusive study tour abroad with the EVC.

“The programme aims to cultivate homegrown solutions to national challenges by equipping children with problem-solving, technical and business skills. Evaluations will focus on clarity of ideas, creativity, societal impact, feasibility, and scalability.”