Some of Nigeria’s brightest engineering students are proving that innovation is alive in the country’s universities.
Student teams from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUT), Yola; the University of Ibadan (UI); the University of Jos (UNIJOS); and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) have emerged winners of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), taking home a combined ₦110 million in seed funding to commercialise their engineering innovations.
MAUT emerged overall winner, receiving a ₦50 million grant for Ubuntu Sapphire, a decentralised, community-powered security alert and intelligence network designed for rural and peri-urban communities with poor internet connectivity and limited security infrastructure.
The University of Ibadan came second and received ₦30 million for Aurora Birth, a health technology solution aimed at reducing newborn deaths caused by birth asphyxia, particularly in low-resource settings.
The University of Jos secured third place with Sentra, a solar-powered, artificial intelligence-enabled crop diagnostic device that detects pests, diseases and soil nutrient deficiencies before visible symptoms appear. The team received ₦20 million.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka finished fourth, earning ₦10 million for Flameless, a modular power-generation platform that converts associated gas into electricity for homes, businesses and communities.
The winning projects stood out for offering practical, scalable and commercially viable solutions to challenges in security, healthcare, agriculture and energy.
The Olympiad attracted 984 students from 80 tertiary institutions across Nigeria, with 375 teams successfully entering the competition. Thirty teams advanced to the regional stage after their projects were assessed for technical excellence, innovation, scalability, commercial viability, societal impact and sustainability.
Beyond the cash prizes, the winning teams will receive technical mentorship, business development support, industry partnerships and commercialisation opportunities to help bring their innovations to market.
The engineering faculties of the winning institutions also received rewards. MAUT won a Centre of Excellence building, while the University of Ibadan and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka received grants of ₦75 million and ₦50 million respectively to strengthen engineering education and research.
Speaking at the grand finale in Lagos, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Margaret Oguntola, described the initiative as a major step towards positioning young engineers as drivers of sustainable national development.
She said the Olympiad was designed to bridge the gap between the enormous engineering talent in Nigerian tertiary institutions and the country’s industrialisation aspirations.
Also speaking, Olutosin Ogunmola, who represented the Nigerian Society of Engineers on the NEO Steering Committee, said engineering remains central to national development, adding that the competition would encourage innovation and healthy competition among students.
Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, Michael Ajayi, said investing in youth-driven innovation is essential to Nigeria’s future, noting that the initiative encourages young people to develop practical solutions capable of creating jobs and addressing real-world challenges.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Felix Ogbe, represented by Silas Ajimijaye, urged stakeholders to ensure the winning innovations progress beyond the competition and reach the market where they can improve lives.
Representing Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, one of the funding partners, Dr Igo Weli announced that prototype development grants for participating teams would increase from ₦3 million to ₦5 million in the next edition.
Another funding partner, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), described the Olympiad as an important platform for strengthening STEM education and reducing brain drain by supporting locally developed engineering solutions.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) also commended the initiative, describing it as a platform for identifying engineering talents capable of driving Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
The competition began with regional contests across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones before 12 teams advanced to a national innovation bootcamp in Lagos. After receiving mentorship from engineers, entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, four finalists emerged as winners.
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