FG Launches N200m Grant Scheme for Women Engineers
The Federal Government has disbursed a total of N200m in grants to 14 outstanding women engineers to scale up innovations addressing Nigeria’s most pressing development challenges.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, marks the second phase of the Developing Engineering Leadership and Technology – Her programme, launched to tackle gender disparity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Speaking at the award ceremony held in Abuja on Thursday, Chairman of PICTT, Dr Dahiru Mohammed, described the DELT-Her initiative 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,” Mohammed said.
He explained that the programme had recorded remarkable growth since its inception.
While the inaugural edition in 2024 empowered six female engineers with N70.5m, the 2025 edition received 9,925 project proposals, a massive leap from the 120 applications recorded last year.
“From this competitive pool, 14 remarkable female engineers have emerged as this year’s awardees, receiving over ₦200m in grant funding to advance their innovative projects,” he added.
The selected projects cut across agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, mobility, digital security, and environmental sustainability, all aimed at delivering real-life impact and advancing the nation’s technological base.
Beyond funding innovators, the DELT-Her initiative has also extended its reach to younger girls in secondary schools. Mohammed disclosed that the programme had expanded its mentorship and grassroots engagement component 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 designed creative prototypes, including biodiesel production technology and solar-powered power banks, a move Mohammed said was “inspiring the next generation of innovators.”
In her address, the Project Coordinator of DELT-Her under NASENI and PICTT, Olamide Apejoye, attributed the programme’s rapid growth to increased awareness and support for female-led innovation.
“We had increased participation, from 150 applications last year to 9,925 this year. The number of winners also grew from six to 14, while funding rose from N17.5m to N228m across board,” she said.
Apejoye noted that the initiative was helping to bridge gender gaps in Nigeria’s engineering and science sectors, historically dominated by men, while also 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 urged 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.
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 prioritises inclusive participation in science and engineering fields.
The 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.