Empowering Women Engineers Through Innovation Grants
The Federal Government has allocated a total of N200 million in grants to 14 exceptional women engineers, aiming 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 is spearheaded by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). The programme is designed to tackle 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 DELT-Her initiative. He described it 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 shown remarkable growth. In 2024, the first edition empowered six female engineers with N70.5 million. By 2025, the number of project proposals surged to 9,925, a significant increase from the 120 applications received the previous year. From this competitive pool, 14 outstanding female engineers were selected as awardees, receiving over ₦200 million in grant funding to advance their innovative projects.
A Wide Range of Innovative Projects
The selected projects span multiple sectors, including agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility, digital security, and environmental sustainability. These initiatives are aimed at delivering real-life impact and advancing the nation’s technological base. Beyond just providing financial support, the DELT-Her initiative has also expanded its reach to younger girls in secondary schools.
Dr Mohammed revealed that the programme had extended its mentorship and grassroots engagement component to encourage early interest in STEM careers among girls. In 2024, they mentored 30 schoolgirls in the FCT. This year, the initiative scaled significantly, reaching over 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, and the FCT. Through STEM bootcamps and the deployment of fabrication kits, participants designed creative prototypes, such as biodiesel production technology and solar-powered power banks. Dr Mohammed described this as “inspiring the next generation of innovators.”
Growing Participation and Impact
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 grown from 150 applications last year to 9,925 this year. The number of winners also increased from six to 14, while funding rose from N17.5 million to N228 million across the board.
Apejoye highlighted that the initiative is helping to bridge gender gaps in Nigeria’s engineering and science sectors, which have historically been dominated by men. She also 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 (NSTIR 2030), which prioritizes inclusive participation in science and engineering fields.
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 in ensuring women have equal access to opportunities that can transform local industries and strengthen the nation’s innovation ecosystem.