INNOVATIONS: Enactus, NSE, NCDMB, others partner
Enactus Nigeria Partners with Multiple Organizations to Launch Nigerian Engineering Olympiad
By Ebunoluwa Sessou, Cynthia Alo, and Precious Enaike
In an effort to enhance the commercialization of Nigerian engineering solutions, Enactus Nigeria has launched a partnership with several key organizations to support young engineers in transforming innovative concepts into practical solutions through the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO).
The partners include the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Renaissance Africa Energy Company, and First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (First E&P).
The Olympiad aims to bridge the gap between engineering education and industry by enabling students to convert their innovations into commercially viable ventures.
During the inaugural competition held in Lagos, Enactus Nigeria Country Director Michael Ajayi announced that 375 applications were submitted by 984 students from 80 tertiary institutions. Of these, 30 teams advanced to the regional stage, with only 12 institutions qualifying for the grand finale.
Modibbo Adama University of Yola in Adamawa State won the grand prize, totaling N50 million and a fully furnished engineering building for their faculty. Their project, known as Ubuntu Sapphire, is a community-powered rapid alert system that connects households via low-cost devices to notify neighbors and emergency responders during crises.
The University of Ibadan took home the first runner-up prize of N30 million and engineering equipment worth N75 million for their innovation, Aurora Birth. This health-tech suite aims to reduce neonatal deaths due to birth asphyxia in low-resource settings.
The University of Jos secured third place with FarmAnchor, a solar-powered, AI-enabled device designed to help smallholder farmers detect crop pests, diseases, and soil deficiencies through multispectral imaging and edge-based machine learning. They received N20 million and N50 million in engineering equipment for their faculty.
Ajayi emphasized Enactus Nigeria’s commitment to empowering youth to leverage entrepreneurial action to address pressing global challenges, starting within their communities.
“We have remained steadfast in our mission to empower young people to use entrepreneurial action to solve the world’s greatest challenges,” he said.
Dr. Emmanuel Ajani, representing Khalil Suleiman Halilu, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), delivered the keynote address. He remarked that the nations that lead the global economy are often those that prioritize innovation and technology-driven industries over mere natural resource abundance.
This collaboration marks a significant step toward fostering engineering talent and addressing Nigeria’s development challenges.
