From back row: Postmaster-General and CEO, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Engr. (Ms) Tola Odeyemi (2nd left); Special Assistant on ICT to the President, Fawaz Amodu (3rd left); EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu (4th left); Representative of the Senate President and Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (centre); Chairman of PICTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru (4th from right) with the awardees of the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her 2.0) initiative at the award ceremony held at NASENI headquarters

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) in partnership with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) has awarded N229 million to 14 women engineers as part of the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her 2.0) initiative.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, held at the NASENI’s headquarters, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu described DELT-Her as a platform that empowers women to turn innovative engineering ideas into solutions that can change the world.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Information, Chima Cletus Akwaja , The DELT-Her 2.0 initiative aims to promote women’s participation in engineering and technology, and support them in developing solutions that address pressing national challenges. The 14 awardees will utilize the grant to develop and implement their innovative projects, with the potential to drive positive change in Nigeria’s engineering sector.

The initiative is part of NASENI’s efforts to promote science, technology, and innovation in Nigeria, and to empower women to take on leadership roles in engineering and technology.

He said NASENI believes that gender inclusion is not charity, it is strategy, as every woman empowered through DELT-Her represents 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 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 potential 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, Senator Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis 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 promoting technological independence, industrial growth, gender inclusion and national competitiveness.

Goodwill messages came from the Postmaster-General and CEO, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Engr. (Ms) Tola Odeyemi; Executive Director, Business Devt, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Hon. Stella Okotete; Special Assistant on ICT to the President, Fawaz Amodu; representatives of 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.