The Federal Government has opened applications for the National AI Innovation Challenge 2026, a national programme designed to deepen the development, adoption and practical use of Nigeria’s sovereign artificial intelligence capabilities through N-ATLAS.
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N-ATLAS, meaning Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale, is an open-source multilingual large language model fine-tuned from Llama-3 8B. It supports Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, as well as Automatic Speech Recognition for voice applications.
The challenge is aimed at Nigerian developers, startups, universities and researchers interested in building practical AI solutions with N-ATLAS.
Applicants can choose from three problem areas: Developer Infrastructure, Voice-First Access and Sectoral Fine-Tuning. The first focuses on tools, documentation and systems that make N-ATLAS easier to integrate, test, adapt and deploy. Voice-First Access focuses on services that allow Nigerians to interact with digital services through supported languages.
Sectoral Fine-Tuning covers specialised AI solutions for health, agriculture, education and financial inclusion.
The challenge is strictly build-only. Participants must submit a functioning technical artefact that genuinely integrates with N-ATLAS. Concept papers, pitch decks, mock-ups, wireframes and proposals without working builds will not qualify.
The programme also requires evidence of real-world validation. Depending on the selected problem statement, this could include external beta testers, documented real user interactions or a benchmark of at least 500 examples against the base N-ATLAS model.
The challenge is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy through ONDI and NCAIR, in partnership with Awarri Technologies.
Shortlisted teams will have access to N-ATLAS API credentials, compute credits, technical mentorship and support to strengthen their builds.
For winners, opportunities include NCAIR research-lab partnerships, Federal Government recognition, ONDI incubation support and investor introductions.
Each submission must include a working artefact, N-ATLAS integration evidence, real-world validation, technical documentation, a three-to-five-minute demonstration video, team profiles and the required endorsement or registration documents for the selected participation track where applicable.
Requirements
Teams must have two to five members. General requirements include Nigerian citizenship or a registered Nigerian entity, original work, submission to only one problem statement. Academia and Research teams require an enrolled student or researcher, faculty supervisor and institutional endorsement. Innovation and Enterprise applicants require valid identification. Companies must provide a CAC certificate. Individual applicants must be Nigerian citizens aged 18 or above, and diaspora teams must have at least 50 per cent of members based in Nigeria.
How to apply
Applications opened on September 22, 2026, and close on October 12, 2026, at 11:59pm WAT. Applicants should visit the National AI Innovation Challenge website at https://ncair.nitda.gov.ng/naic/, review the eligibility and submission requirements, select one problem statement and submit a working N-ATLAS-integrated solution before the deadline.
