Engineering Olympiad rewards Nigerian universities with ₦235m to drive innovation

L-R): General Manager, Human Capital Development, Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Alexis Emelle; Director, Planning Research & Statistics (NCDMB), Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye; Smart Sharon; Dr David Patrick; Abel Philip, winner of Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) from Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa State; Director, Project Certification and Authorization (NCDMB), Engr Abayomi Bamidele and Country Director, Enactus Nigeria, Engr Michael Ajayi, at the 2026 Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) Competition Grand Finale held in Lagos

Michael Olumide

Four Nigerian universities have emerged as winners of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), securing a combined ₦235 million in seed funding and institutional grants, including a Centre of Excellence Building, in recognition of outstanding engineering innovations capable of transforming critical sectors of the nation’s economy.

The winning institutions—Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUT), Yola; the University of Ibadan (UI); the University of Jos (UniJos); and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)—were honoured at the grand finale of the competition held in Lagos on June 30, 2026.

MAUT emerged overall winner, receiving a ₦50 million commercialization grant for its innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, alongside a Centre of Excellence Building for its Faculty of Engineering.

The University of Ibadan secured second position and received ₦30 million in seed funding, while its Faculty of Engineering was awarded a ₦75 million institutional grant to strengthen engineering education and research.

The University of Jos finished third and received ₦20 million, while the University of Nigeria, Nsukka came fourth with a ₦10 million commercialization grant. UNN’s Faculty of Engineering also received a ₦50 million research and development grant.

In all, the competition delivered ₦110 million in commercialization grants to the winning student teams and ₦125 million in institutional support for engineering faculties, bringing the total value of awards to ₦235 million.

Beyond the financial rewards, the winning teams will benefit from technical mentorship, business development support, strategic industry partnerships and commercialization opportunities designed to move their innovations from prototypes to market-ready solutions.
Innovative Solutions to National Challenges

The overall winning innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, developed by MAUT students, is a decentralized, community-powered rapid alert and security intelligence network tailored to rural and peri-urban communities where internet connectivity is poor, security infrastructure is weak and millions still rely on feature phones.

The University of Ibadan’s second-place project, Aurora Birth, is a healthcare innovation aimed at reducing neonatal deaths caused by birth asphyxia, particularly in underserved and low-resource communities.

The University of Jos impressed judges with Sentra, a solar-powered, artificial intelligence-enabled crop diagnostic device capable of detecting pests, diseases and soil nutrient deficiencies before visible symptoms appear, thereby helping farmers improve yields and reduce losses.

UNN’s innovation, Flameless, is a modular, containerized power generation platform that captures associated gas and converts it into electricity, providing affordable and reliable energy for homes, businesses and communities.

The judges noted that the winning projects stood out because of their practicality, scalability, commercial potential and capacity to solve pressing national challenges across security, healthcare, agriculture and energy.

Fierce national competition

The Olympiad attracted an impressive 984 student participants from 80 tertiary institutions nationwide, producing 375 successful team applications.

After months of rigorous assessment beginning in November 2025, 30 teams advanced to the regional stage, where projects were evaluated based on technical excellence, innovation, scalability, commercial viability, societal impact and sustainability.

Each of the shortlisted teams received ₦3 million in prototype development funding before competing across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones—Yenagoa, Enugu, Ibadan, Abuja, Yola and Kano.

The top twelve teams progressed to a national innovation bootcamp in Lagos, where they underwent intensive mentoring by engineering professionals, entrepreneurs, investors and innovation experts before competing in knockout rounds that produced the four national winners.

NSE commends initiative

Speaking during the event, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Margaret Oguntola described the Olympiad as a bold initiative capable of repositioning young Nigerian engineers as drivers of sustainable national development.

She explained that the competition was conceived to bridge the gap between the enormous engineering talent available in Nigerian tertiary institutions and the country’s industrialization aspirations.

Also speaking, Engr. Olutosin Ogunmola, a member of the NEO Steering Committee representing the NSE, said engineering remains the defining difference between developed and developing nations.

According to him, just as healthy competition has transformed sectors such as music and reality television, the Olympiad aims to stimulate similar excellence within engineering education while celebrating the ingenuity of students and their lecturers.

Enactus seeks greater investment in youth innovation

Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, Mr. Michael Ajayi, emphasized that investing in youth-driven innovation is critical to Nigeria’s future.

He said the Olympiad aligns with Enactus’ mission of nurturing leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation among young Nigerians, adding that the country must deliberately harness the creativity and technical capacity of its youth to solve real-life challenges, create sustainable businesses and generate employment.

NCDMB, partners pledge continued support

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by Mr. Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to identifying and nurturing undergraduate and postgraduate engineering talents through the Olympiad.

He commended all partners for their collaboration and urged them to ensure that the innovations developed during the competition successfully reach the marketplace and improve lives.

Representing Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Vice President for Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr. Igo Weli, announced that the prototype development grant for participating teams would increase from ₦3 million to ₦5 million in the next edition of the competition.

Similarly, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), represented by its General Manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, Engr. John Alamu described the Olympiad as an important platform for strengthening STEM education and tackling the growing challenge of brain drain.

He stressed the need to build systems that reward engineering excellence while encouraging solutions tailored to Nigeria’s energy, manufacturing, infrastructure and sustainability needs.
Representing the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Halilu, Engr. (Dr.) Emmanuel Ajani congratulated the winners and praised the organizers for creating a platform capable of identifying engineering talents that will drive Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

Building Nigeria’s innovation future

Organizers said the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad is more than a competition, describing it as a strategic national initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s engineering ecosystem through mentorship, seed funding, commercialization support and industry collaboration.

The initiative is sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), funded by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (First E&P), with the Nigerian Society of Engineers serving as technical partner and Enactus Nigeria implementing the programme.

Over the next three years, the Olympiad is expected to produce more than 150 engineering prototypes and numerous technology start-ups, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s industrialization agenda while reducing dependence on imported technologies.