NASENI unveils $25,000 support for 25 Nigerian tech startups

August 31, 2026 by Juliana Agbo

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has unveiled its Xceler8 Accelerator Programme, offering up to $25,000 in programme support to each of 25 Nigerian science, engineering and technology startups selected for a three-month acceleration programme.

Launched on Monday at a media parley in Abuja by the NASENI Innovation Hub, the initiative is designed to help innovators with functional products transform their technologies into commercially viable ventures capable of attracting investment and expanding into new markets.

Under the programme, the 25 post-Minimum Viable Product (MVP) innovators will receive structured capacity-building, hands-on product development support, world-class mentorship and access to investors.

Participants will also work with expert practitioners who will set and review business and product development milestones weekly throughout the programme.

NASENI said the accelerator was established to address a persistent challenge in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, where promising scientific and engineering prototypes often struggle to move from development into successful commercial ventures.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said Nigeria had significant scientific and engineering talent but needed stronger mechanisms to translate innovations into businesses.

“Nigeria does not have a shortage of brilliant engineers and scientists. What we have is a gap between the laboratory and the market,” Halilu said.

“Xceler8 exists to close that gap. We are backing founders who have already built something real and already have paying customers, and we are giving them the business capability, the capital readiness and the networks to scale.

“This is what a Nigeria First innovation agenda looks like in practice.”

The programme will focus on helping innovators develop products that meet customers’ needs, penetrate new markets and acquire the business and investment readiness required to raise capital.

All accelerator sessions will be conducted virtually, allowing innovators from across Nigeria to participate.

The programme will culminate in a physical Demo Day in Abuja, where selected ventures will pitch their businesses to investors, industry partners and the media.

Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Busola Beckley Perez-Folayan, said the programme was specifically designed for entrepreneurs who had progressed beyond the idea stage.

“We deliberately designed Xceler8 for founders who are past the idea stage,” Perez-Folayan said.

“Every applicant must show real transactions and name a specific milestone they intend to hit during the programme. That discipline is what makes the three months count, and it is why we expect this cohort to create jobs and attract investment well beyond Demo Day.”

NASENI said applicants must be Nigerian citizens aged between 15 and 40, reside in Nigeria and operate a registered Nigerian entity.

They must also demonstrate evidence of at least five completed paid transactions and have a fully functional prototype or live commercial product addressing a local challenge through science, engineering or innovation.

Priority sectors include agricultural technology, renewable energy, financial technology, education technology, health technology and manufacturing.

NASENI said it expects the first cohort to produce at least 100 direct and indirect jobs, establish five strategic partnerships and record measurable improvements in the commercial and investment readiness of participating startups.

The launch was attended by representatives of AfriLabs, the pan-African network of innovation hubs that includes the NASENI Innovation Hub.

Applications opened on August 31 and will close on September 30, 2026.