The Federal Government has disbursed ₦200 million in grant funding to 14 outstanding women engineers to scale up innovations tackling Nigeria’s key development challenges.
The initiative, led by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) in partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), marks the second phase of the Developing Engineering Leadership and Technology–Her (DELT-Her) programme.
Launched to address gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), the programme aims to empower women innovators and promote inclusive participation in the nation’s technology and engineering sectors.
Speaking during the award ceremony held in Abuja on Thursday, the Chairman of PICTT, Dr. Dahiru Mohammed, described DELT-Her as a “transformative step toward building a new generation of women leaders in engineering and technology.”
“DELT-Her was born from a national vision to rectify the gender imbalance in STEM fields, fostering an environment where women can lead groundbreaking innovations,” Mohammed said.
He noted that the programme had recorded significant growth since it began. While the first edition in 2024 empowered six female engineers with ₦70.5 million, the 2025 phase received 9,925 project proposals, a sharp increase from 120 applications submitted in the previous year.
“From this competitive pool, fourteen remarkable female engineers have emerged as this year’s awardees, receiving over ₦200 million in grant funding to advance their innovative projects,” he added.
The selected projects cover key sectors such as agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility, digital security, and environmental sustainability. According to Mohammed, the projects were chosen for their potential to deliver real-life impact and strengthen Nigeria’s technological base.
Beyond the financial support, the DELT-Her initiative has expanded its mentorship and grassroots engagement programmes to encourage young girls in secondary schools to pursue STEM careers.
“In 2024, we mentored 30 schoolgirls in the FCT. This year, we scaled significantly, reaching over 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the FCT,” he said.
Through STEM bootcamps and the use of fabrication kits, the participants were able to design creative prototypes such as biodiesel production technology and solar-powered power banks. Mohammed said the hands-on approach was “inspiring the next generation of innovators” and ensuring continuity in female participation in STEM fields.
Also speaking at the event, the Project Coordinator of DELT-Her under NASENI and PICTT, Olamide Apejoye, attributed the programme’s rapid progress to growing awareness and support for women-led innovation across the country.
“We had increased participation—from 150 applications last year to 9,925 this year. The number of winners also grew from six to fourteen, while funding rose from ₦17.5 million to ₦228 million across board,” she said.
Apejoye stated that DELT-Her is helping bridge gender gaps in Nigeria’s engineering and science fields, which have long been dominated by men. She explained that the programme also promotes entrepreneurship and contributes to economic inclusion.
“The more prototypes they create, the more startups emerge. That means more jobs, more empowerment, and more economic growth,” she added.
Apejoye encouraged women scientists and engineers nationwide to prepare for the next round of applications. “DELT-Her is here to support female engineers and scientists across Nigeria. I encourage more women to take advantage of the next call for applications,” she said.
The DELT-Her initiative was introduced in 2024 as part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to boost technology transfer and strengthen local innovation through PICTT and NASENI. It aligns with Nigeria’s National Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap, which prioritises inclusive participation in science and engineering.
Gender disparity remains a major challenge in STEM, with women representing less than 22 percent of Nigeria’s engineering workforce. Programmes like DELT-Her are therefore considered crucial in promoting gender equality, boosting local innovation, and expanding the nation’s economic and technological capacity.
