Democratising The Nigeria Prize for Science as street ingenuity, innovation get a look in
By Anote Ajeluorou
THERE was no winner for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation in 2025, as it was for many successive years. The theme was focused on “Innovations in ICT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Digital Technologies for Development.” But because the entries were not good enough, the Advisory Board has reintroduced the same theme, but in a somewhat different manner as theme for this year, as the prize has been opened for entry for the 2026 edition. In reintroducing the same theme, the board has decided to split the theme into three components to read: ‘Innovations in ICT for Development or Innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Development or Innovations in Digital Technologies for Development’. Therefore researchers and innovators can work on any of the three strands of the theme, be it ICT, AI or Digital Technologies for development. It’s the board’s hope that this breakdown will give scientists and innovators elbow room to work on problem-solving areas that will help the Nigerian society.
But more than these is the intent of the board to properly democratise The Nigeria Prize for Science such that the board deemed it proper to include ‘Innovations’, as an essential component of the prize. By so doing, the board hopes to broaden research outcomes in such a way that it’s not the forte of academics alone. The board’s approach seeks to democratise the base of researchers to include non-academic types, but also innovators who are working to make life better with their research outcomes. This is a significant dimension to the prize that has endured 20 years of sustainability in a turbulent socio-economic environment, with only hiccups being poor entries that denied scientists the prize.
The new imperative for the science prize was explained at the unveiling of new communication visuals for The Nigeria Prizes. The Advisory Board Chairman for the science prize, Prof. Barth Nnaji, said, “Over the years, The Nigeria Prizes have achieved remarkable success. From recognising groundbreaking scientific discoveries to honouring literary brilliance, these awards have inspired innovation, nurtured talent, and consistently showcased the best of Nigerian ingenuity. The prizes have become a symbol of aspiration, a beacon that encourages our brightest minds to strive for excellence and to create ideas that make a real difference in our society.
“Throughout history, we have always used symbols to give shape to our highest ambitions. Long before we had equations or formal discoveries, we had symbols to help us express order and meaning. In our modern world, a visual identity does the same thing: it captures what we have achieved and signals where we intend to go. A truly powerful symbol does not just represent an institution; it reflects the seriousness of its purpose.
General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development at NLNG, Dr. Sophia Horsfall (left); Chairman, Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Science & Innovation, Prof. Barth Nnaji and science advisory board member, Chief Nike Akande at the unveiling of new visual communication logos for The Nigeria Prizes last week… in Lagos
“The Nigeria Prize for Science, over the years, has been guided by such a symbol. Our logo has stood for rigour, independence, and national aspiration. It helped us build a reputation for credibility and excellence that is recognised far beyond our borders. That symbol served us with distinction. The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation is now entering a new phase. This era calls for an icon that is contemporary, memorable, and bold.
“The new logo we see today captures that ambition with elegant precision. Those intersecting blue orbits evoke the energy of atoms and the motion of planets reminding us that science operates everywhere, from the microscopic to the cosmic. Its circular movement represents continuity and the boundless nature of human inquiry. The blue and lime palette is not just a colour choice; it is a language. It speaks of curiosity, intelligence, and the relentless search for truth. There is motion in this symbol, but there is also balance, an acknowledgement that scientific progress must be both dynamic and disciplined. While the form has changed, the values remain the same.”
What is interesting is how the field has become broadened, as the science prize enters a new era of thinking, which Nnaji hailed as the new way of being for the science prize, when he said, “As we unveil these new logos, we are saying to the scientists in the labs and the innovators in the workshops that: curiosity is welcome here. Rigour is rewarded here. The future is built by those bold enough to ask better questions.”
Indeed, Nnaji was responding questions about how industrial scale discoveries in the past, most of which possibly targeted governments’ patronage failed to make the cut, as government has consistently shown disdain or feign ignorance for such research outcomes that are capable of transforming the sectors for which the scientists designed them. However, Nnaji seemed to suggest that small-scale researches that target small segments of society would seem to have gained application traction faster than all others.
Two telling examples suffice, according to Nnaji. One was Prof. Hippolite Amadi, who teaches Medical Technology at Imo State University, Owerri, who developed innovations for “a non-invasive neonatal ventilator, an oxygen delivery blender system, and an oxygen splitter system, all powered by solar energy.” The innovations have undergone testing in various Nigerian hospitals and have proven to be cost-effective, leading to significant reductions in neonatal care expenses. While imported ones sell for over N3 million, Amadi’s sells for just N750,000 and is just as effective as imported ones!
The other research outcome that is already in use is Prof. Peter Ngene’s work on “Nanostructured Metal Hydrides for the storage of electric power from renewable energy sources and from explosion prevention in high voltage transformers.” This innovation, according to Nnaji, attracted over €200,000 (Euros) from a body in The Netherlands for Ngene to continue improving his research work.
However, while Professors Amadi and Ngene are university types, the new format also encourages non-academic innovators to enter the fray and bring their innovations to bear both on winning the prize worth USD$100,000 and the possibility of scaling their research outcomes for commercial use for the benefit of society like Amadi, for instance. Indeed, across the country there are reports of youngsters and older innovators alike whose inventiveness are often amazing and questions Nigeria’s penchant for foreign products. From secondary school students and even drop-outs to undergraduate innovative projects and others, who invent drones, flying objects, vehicles and household appliances that Nigerians happily import from China and Asia, The Nigeria Prize for Science & Innovation has produced a master key to unlocking Nigeria’s unique street creativity that is so often overlooked, largely because of Nigeria’s taste for imported stuffs. This import culture that has hindered Nigeria’s unique inventive genius from blooming is what the new science prize format is designed to unleash. This is huge credit to the advisory board and prize administrators that keep innovating the prize format to make it inclusive to otherwise marginalised researchers and innovators outside the university system.
The concern now, however, is how to reach these street innovators and bring them into the prize loop. This year perhaps may not be their year, as the theme reflects a relatively complex area of research innovation – ICT, AI and Digital Technologies. But including them in the prize’s reckoning is a welcome development nonetheless, as themes for years to come might be within their innovation scope since many of them lack the necessary formal education to couch their research work in a manner that may be presentable and acceptable. The likelihood of many more roadshows by the prize administrators will become inevitable in the foreseeable future to drum the message home to street levels, so as to haul in more innovators on the margins of society into the science pool. This is possibly a new era where the ‘no winner’ tag that has trailed The Science Prize might just be a thing of the past since Nigeria is not short on innovations. What has been short is recognising and rewarding innovation that is abundant on the streets!
