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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), has disbursed N229 million in grants to 14 female engineers under the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her 2.0) initiative.
According to a statement signed by NASENI’s Deputy Director of Information, Chima Akwaja, the grants were presented at an award ceremony held on Thursday at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Halilu, described the initiative as a platform for women to turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that can change the world.
Halilu disclosed that the 14 awardees were selected from 9,925 project proposals across the country, adding that the beneficiaries will develop innovations in key sectors such as agriculture, clean energy, health, mobility, digital security and environmental sustainability.
“NASENI believes that gender inclusion is not charity, it is strategy. Every woman empowered through DELT-Her represents new capacity for our technology and manufacturing ecosystem, bringing unique perspectives that drive better designs, smarter products and more human-centred innovation,” he said.
The NASENI boss noted that the first edition of DELT-Her in 2024 empowered six outstanding female engineers with N70.5 million in grants. “This year, the number of applications increased from 120 to 9,925, showing the growing impact of the programme,” he added.
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He explained that beyond funding, the initiative also expanded its mentorship activities from 30 schoolgirls in Abuja in 2024 to over 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT in 2025, through bootcamps and fabrication training sessions.
In his remarks, Chairman of PICTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, congratulated the awardees for their dedication and innovation, describing them as symbols of the potential of Nigerian women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“As we honour these milestones, let us recommit to sustaining this momentum, ensuring that DELT-Her continues to bridge gaps and drive national development,” he said.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting NASENI’s goals of indigenous production, local content development and gender inclusion in science and technology.
Represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi, he said: “We believe that a nation that builds its technology builds its destiny, and a nation that empowers its women secures its future.”
Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Udoka, commended NASENI and PICTT for promoting gender inclusion and innovation, noting that their programmes align with the Federal Government’s vision for technological independence and national competitiveness.
