Empowering Women Engineers in Nigeria
The Federal Government has allocated a total of ₦200 million in grant funding to 14 outstanding women engineers, enabling them to scale up their innovations that address Nigeria’s most pressing development challenges. This initiative is part of the Developing Engineering Leadership and Technology–Her (DELT-Her) programme, which marks its second phase under the collaboration between the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
The DELT-Her initiative was launched with the aim of tackling gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. At an award ceremony held in Abuja, Dr. Dahiru Mohammed, Chairman of PICTT, emphasized the significance of the programme. He 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,” he said.
Since its inception, the programme has seen remarkable growth. In 2024, the inaugural edition empowered six female engineers with ₦70.5 million. The 2025 edition received an impressive 9,925 project proposals, a significant increase from the 120 applications recorded the previous year. From this competitive pool, fourteen remarkable female engineers were selected to receive over ₦200 million in grant funding to advance their innovative projects.
Diverse Projects Addressing National Challenges
The selected projects cover a wide range of areas, including agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility, digital security, and environmental sustainability. These initiatives are designed to deliver real-life impact and contribute to the nation’s technological advancement.
Beyond providing financial support to innovators, the DELT-Her initiative has also expanded its focus to younger girls in secondary schools. Dr. Mohammed revealed that the programme has enhanced its mentorship and grassroots engagement components to encourage early interest in STEM careers among girls.
“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 deployment of fabrication kits, participants have designed creative prototypes, including biodiesel production technology and solar-powered power banks. Dr. Mohammed described these efforts as “inspiring the next generation of innovators.”
Expanding Opportunities for Women in STEM
Olamide Apejoye, the Project Coordinator of DELT-Her under NASENI and PICTT, attributed the programme’s rapid growth to increased awareness and support for female-led innovation. She noted that participation had surged 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 highlighted that the initiative is helping to bridge gender gaps in Nigeria’s engineering and science sectors, which have traditionally been dominated by men. She emphasized that the programme is driving economic inclusion through entrepreneurship.
“The more prototypes they create, the more startups emerge. That means more jobs, more empowerment, and more economic growth,” she explained.
She encouraged aspiring women scientists and engineers across the country 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 added.
Aligning with National Goals
The DELT-Her initiative was introduced in 2024 as part of the Federal Government’s strategy to boost technology transfer and local innovation capacity 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 accounting for less than 22 per cent of Nigeria’s engineering workforce. Initiatives like DELT-Her are therefore seen as vital to ensuring women have equal access to opportunities that can transform local industries and strengthen the nation’s innovation ecosystem.