NASENI launches xceler8 accelerator, offers $25,000 support to Nigerian innovators

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has launched the NASENI Xceler8 Accelerator, a three-month virtual programme designed to help Nigerian science, engineering and technology innovators transform functional products into commercially viable ventures.

The programme, unveiled on Monday at a media parley hosted by the NASENI Innovation Hub in Abuja, will select 25 post-Minimum Viable Product (MVP) innovators from across the country.

Each selected innovator will receive up to $25,000 in programme support, alongside structured capacity-building workshops, hands-on product development assistance, expert mentorship and direct access to investors.

According to NASENI, the programme targets innovators who have moved beyond the idea stage and already have functional prototypes or live commercial products addressing local problems.

The accelerator will run virtually, enabling participants to join from anywhere in Nigeria, and will culminate in a physical Demo Day in Abuja, where leading ventures will pitch their businesses to investors, industry partners and the media.

Speaking at the launch, NASENI Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the initiative was designed to address the gap between innovation and commercialisation in Nigeria.

“Nigeria does not have a shortage of brilliant engineers and scientists. What we have is a gap between the laboratory and the market,” Halilu said.

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He added that Xceler8 would support founders who had already developed real products and secured paying customers by providing them with business capabilities, capital-readiness support and access to networks required for scaling. “This is what a Nigeria First…