NASENI Moves To Turn Innovations Into Businesses, Targets 100 Innovators, 400 Jobs
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has launched the NASENI Xceler8 Programme, an accelerator aimed at helping Nigerian innovators transform scientific and engineering breakthroughs into commercially viable businesses.
The programme, implemented by the NASENI Innovation Hub in partnership with AfriLabs, targets 100 innovators and 100 Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), with at least 400 direct and indirect jobs expected to be created across four cohorts.
Speaking at the launch, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by his Special Adviser on ICT, Engr. Bashir Aliyu, said innovation must move beyond ideas and prototypes to produce solutions capable of attracting investment and addressing real-world challenges.
He stressed that “innovations that remain in laboratories cannot deliver their full social and economic value,” noting that successful commercialisation could lead to the creation of industries, jobs, intellectual property and investment opportunities.
The Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Mrs. Busola Perez-Folayan, said participants would receive support in product refinement, business development, market validation, technical mentorship and investment readiness.
She said the acceleration support is valued at up to $25,000 per cohort, adding that the top 10 innovators from each cohort would pitch their solutions to investors and industry stakeholders at a Demo Day in Abuja.
The Executive Director of AfriLabs, Mrs. Nanko Madu, said the partnership would connect participants to AfriLabs’ network of more than 540 innovation hubs across 54 African countries.
The programme is open to Nigerians aged 15 to 40 with functional MVPs or commercial products, as well as evidence of market demand.
NASENI said the initiative is designed to strengthen the pathway from Nigerian innovation to scalable businesses while promoting entrepreneurship, job creation and investment in science and technology.
