NASENI has introduced a new programme called FutureMakers to inspire innovation and creativity in children aged 15 and below. The launch took place on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja, and it brought together key stakeholders, educators, and students from Aflon Digital Academy, Kuje, and Government Secondary School, Idu-Karmo. The initiative aims to strengthen early exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) while preparing young Nigerians to become future problem-solvers.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the programme is designed to equip Nigeria’s younger generation with the mindset needed for the country’s technological growth. He explained that FutureMakers by NASENI, accessible at www.innovationlab.naseni.gov.ng/futuremakers, will encourage children to create solutions for societal problems by promoting creativity and structured problem-solving. Halilu said, “Today, we take another step toward securing Nigeria’s long-term innovation future. We are here to officially launch FutureMakers by NASENI, another national programme designed to identify, nurture and empower young innovators between the ages of 5 and 16 years.” He added that early exposure creates lifelong innovators and that Nigeria is now joining that league through this effort.
He explained that FutureMakers, an initiative of the NASENI Innovation Hub, is part of a long-term national plan focused on building technical confidence from a young age. According to him, the programme will prepare children for STEM, entrepreneurship and leadership, while strengthening the nation’s innovation ecosystem. Halilu noted, “This is our way of securing Nigeria’s innovation stability over the next 30 to 50 years,” urging parents, teachers, partners and the private sector to support young talents by investing in competitions, funding prototypes and encouraging creativity.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the EVC/CEO on Commercialization and Efficiency, Engr. Dr. Anas Balarabe Yazid, said FutureMakers is deeper than robotics, design thinking, coding or competitions. He said it is about believing in children even before the world recognizes their abilities. According to him, “It is about something deeper: believing in our children before the world has fully seen them, investing in their talent before their CV exists, and creating an experience that will stay with them for life. The moment they realized they can build things, solve real problems and be a maker of the future.”
In her presentation, the Head of the NASENI Innovation Hub, Mrs. Rachael Oluwabukola Perez-Folayan, explained that the programme will run from December 2025 to February 2026. A total of 60 children will be selected from all six geopolitical zones. She said top winners from each zone will receive prizes worth up to N5 million, including a scholarship and an exclusive study tour abroad with the EVC of NASENI.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi, praised the Agency for the initiative. He thanked mentors, teachers, parents and partners for supporting young innovators and said, “As we launch FutureMakers, let us renew our collective commitment to building a nation, where creativity is elevated, where ideas are supported and where the potential of every child is allowed to thrive. I believe that what we are doing today will inspire a new generation of young ones.”
