NASENI Awards N70.5m Grants to Six Female Engineers
By Patience Ikpeme
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), through its Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), has awarded N70.5 million to six female engineers.
The ladies got the award for their innovative projects under the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her) initiative.
This programme, part of NASENI’s Delta-2 initiative, aims to promote gender equality in engineering and technology-based businesses.
The DELT-Her project was launched on March 8, 2024, as part of International Women’s Day celebrations, to address gender imbalance in engineering by supporting the innovative ideas of young female engineers in Nigeria.
Speaking at the grant award ceremony in Abuja, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by Dr. Mrs. Nonyem Onyechi, stressed the importance of empowering women in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Khalil Suleiman Halilu commended the selected projects for their potential to solve real-world problems and encouraged the awardees to continue breaking barriers in STEM fields.
PICTT Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, revealed that out of 120 applications, six outstanding projects were selected for funding. He expressed optimism that these projects would play a crucial role in advancing Nigeria’s technology sector.
The six awardees and their projects are: Engr. Rukkaya Abdulmutalib – ‘Artificial Intelligence Censored Machine to Monitor Soil Health for Green-Houses’ (N3 million); Patience Ibrahim-Janda – ‘Automobile Brake Pads Produced from Organic Waste’ (N10 million); Engr. Amina Ibrahim Khaleel – ‘Drone for Intelligent Real-time Security and Target Tracking’ (N17.5 million).
Others are: Engr. Dr. Kudirat Oyewumi Jimoh – ‘Electronic Training Board/Device for Science and Engineering Students’ (N16.5 million); Engr. Dr. Ikechukwu Ijeoma Francisca – ‘Automatic Bambara Flour Processing Machine’ (N8.5 million) and Engr. Abisola Ayomide Olayiwola – ‘Solar-powered Snail Shelling Machine’ (N15 million).
The awardees will also receive technical support, partner links, and opportunities for commercialization. Some have been selected to participate in the AFRI. Lab Annual gathering in Cape Town, South Africa.
In addition, four junior secondary schools showcased their technological innovations at the event, marking the International Day of the Girl Child celebration. Their projects included a fuelless generator, a mini-refinery converting plastic waste into fuel, and a solar-powered sea planting machine.
NASENI’s continued investment in female engineers through DELT-Her highlights the agency’s commitment to fostering innovation and gender inclusion in Nigeria’s technology and engineering sectors.
