By Uche Onyeali
National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer, PICTT, has granted N229 million to 14 awardees of the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her, DELT-Her 2.0, initiative.
This was disclosed in a statement yesterday signed by the Deputy Director of Information, NASENI, Chima Akwaja.
Speaking at the awards ceremony held at the agency’s headquarters yesterday, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Mr Khalil Halilu stated that DELT-Her represents an opportunity through which women can turn bold engineering ideas into solutions that change the world.
The NASENI boss stated that out of the 9,925 project proposals, 14 female engineers emerged as awardees, receiving N229 million funding to advance their innovative projects across critical sectors such as agriculture, clean energy, health, mobility, digital security and environmental sustainability.
He said NASENI believes that gender inclusion is not charity, it is strategy, as every woman empowered through DELT-Her represents a new capacity for the nation’s technology and manufacturing ecosystem with a unique perspective that drives better designs, smarter products and more human-centred innovation.
According to him, “the first edition of DELT-Her in 2024 ignited a movement by empowering six outstanding female engineers with N70.5 million in grant support to develop pioneering innovations. This year, DELT-Her 2.0 attracted 9,925 project proposals, compared to just 120 applications in the previous year.”
Halilu added that “from mentoring 30 school girls in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in 2024, the programme scaled up in 2025 to reach over 150 girls across Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT, providing mentorship, bootcamps and fabrication kits that have inspired them to develop their own prototypes.”
In his opening address, Chairman of PICTT, Dr Mohammed Dahiru commended the awardees, noting that their dedication, ingenuity and resilience exemplify the potentials of 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 remarked.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, reaffirmed the commitment of the Senate to the ideals represented by NASENI including indigenous production, local content development and gender inclusion in science and technology. “We believe that a nation that builds its technology builds its destiny and a nation that empowers its women secures its future,” he added.
In her remarks, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Udoka commended NASENI and PICTT for their foresight and dedication.
She noted that their initiatives align meaningfully with the federal government’s broader commitment to promote technological independence, industrial growth, gender inclusion and national competitiveness.
Goodwill messages came from the Postmaster-General and CEO, Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, Engr Tola Odeyemi; Executive Director, Business Development, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Stella Okotete; Special Assistant on ICT to the President, Fawaz Amodu; representatives of the president, Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Minister of State for FCT; DG of PenCom; Secretary to the Government of the Federation and DG of NIMC.
