ABUJA, August 4, 2025 — The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), in collaboration with key partners, has awarded a total of $280,000 in grants to six innovative Nigerian startups operating in the agriculture and health sectors, as part of its strategic push to stimulate sustainable development through homegrown innovation.
The awards were announced during the grand finale of the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI) competition held in Abuja. The programme, aimed at identifying and supporting high-potential early-stage companies, received over 2,000 entries nationwide, from which six top-performing startups emerged after a rigorous multi-stage selection process.
Each of the six finalists received funding ranging from $30,000 to $60,000, intended to scale their operations and deepen their impact on critical sectors. Among the awardees were health-tech ventures focused on telemedicine and diagnostics, as well as agri-tech startups leveraging AI and IoT to enhance food production and distribution efficiency across Nigeria.
NSIA Managing Director, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, emphasized that the initiative is part of the Authority’s broader mission to catalyze innovation-driven economic growth and support enterprises with the potential to solve local problems using scalable, technology-enabled solutions.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was represented by a senior presidential aide, commended the NSIA for its foresight and called on private investors to match public efforts by investing in Nigerian startups poised to transform the nation’s economic landscape.
According to the organisers, this year’s edition of the NPI also featured mentorship sessions, investor pitch opportunities, and capacity-building workshops, all designed to prepare participants for global competitiveness.
The NSIA reaffirmed its long-term commitment to nurturing innovation through recurring editions of the prize, with the goal of positioning Nigeria as a hub for African tech and entrepreneurship.
