How NASENI’s ₦70.5m grant will close gender gap in engineering, technology

By Chioma Obinagwam

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) through the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) has awarded the sum of N70.5 million naira grant to six winners of the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her), via call for proposal, a project under Delta-2 programme of the Agency.

NASENI told Confiance News in a statement on Tuesday.

NASENI had on March 8, 2024, International Women’s Day celebration, launched DELT-Her project and call for Proposal, aimed at addressing gender imbalance in the practice of engineering and technology based Businesses in Nigeria, by sponsoring the innovative ideas and projects by young female engineers.

In his welcome address, during the grant award ceremony held at NASENI Headquarters on Tuesday in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Agency, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by the Coordinating Director, Planning and Business Development Directorate, Dr. Mrs. Nonyem Onyechi, said “DELT-Her initiative is aimed at empowering young women in engineering and technology.”

He emphasized the importance of providing women with the necessary tools, platforms, and support to thrive in the fields that have traditionally been male-dominated.

He said the selected projects not only challenged the status quo but also have the potential to address real-world problems.

The EVC/CEO affirming that young girls belong in STEM fields and that their dreams are valid, said, “I encourage awardees to view their success as a beacon for others and the commitment to fostering environments where women can excel in engineering and technology.”

Also, speaking, Chairman of PICTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, said after thorough evaluation process of over 120 applications received, six outstanding innovative ideas were selected for grant to the tune of each project cost estimate and other forms of support.

The event, he said, was to sow a seed that would change Nigeria in terms of technology transfer.

“We are recognizing and celebrating our awardees for their amazing feats, while also recognizing the just concluded International Day of the Girl Child, with the hope to inspire the younger generation to embrace and thrive in science and engineering”, he further explained.

The awardees will receive grants to the tune of the project cost estimate, technical support, links to partners and commercialization of the R&D institutes outputs. Some of the awardees based on their project have also been selected to participate in the forthcoming AFRI. Lab Annual gathering in Cape town, South Africa.

The grant recipients with their projects are: Engr. Rukkaya Abdulmutalib, ‘Artificial Intelligence Censored Machine to Monitor Soil Health for Green-Houses N3m); Patience Ibrahim-Janda, ‘Automobile Brake Pads produced from Organic Waste’ N10m); Engr. Amina Ibrahim Khaleel, ‘Drone for Intelligent ReaL-time Security and Target Tracking’ (N17.5m); Engr. Dr. Kudirat Oyewumi Jimoh, ‘Electronic Training Board/Device for Science and Engineering Students’ (N16.5m); Engr. Dr. Ikechukwu Ijeoma Francisca, ‘Automatic Bambara Flour Processing Machine’ (N8.5m); and Engr. Abisola Ayomide Olayiwola ‘Solar-powered Snail Shelling Machine’ (N15m).

Also, in commemoration of Girl Child International Day celebration, four Junior Girls Secondary Schools exhibited their innovative and technological devices at the Agency.

They schools included: Junior Secondary School Jikwoyi 1-Fueless Generator; and Junior Secondary School Pasali –Fabrication of Mini Refinery Waste Plastics into Home Use Liquids Fuels and Gas.

The rest were: Junior Secondary School Phase 3, Gwagwalada-Ultra Modern Solar Power Sea Planting and Chemical Spraying Machine; and Junior Secondary School Kuje-Conversion of Water and petrol into methane Gas by using Pressure and Junior Secondary School Area 11 – Archimedes Screw Turbines.

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