The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026 for young Nigerian developers.

Application Deadline: 12 October 2026, 11:59 PM (WAT)

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026 NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge. The National AI Innovation Challenge is designed to deepen the technical improvement, adoption and sensible use of Nigeria’s sovereign AI capabilities.

At the centre is N-ATLAS (Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale), Nigeria’s first open-source, multilingual massive language mannequin. Fine-tuned from Llama-3 8B, it helps Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, with Automatic Speech Recognition for voice functions.

The problem directs Nigerian expertise in direction of constructing developer instruments, voice-first functions, and sector-specific AI options on N-ATLAS.

Challenge Objectives

1. Deepen the technical improvement of N-ATLAS by way of working developer instruments, fine-tuned fashions, datasets and ecosystem contributions.
2. 02Accelerate adoption by way of deployable, real-world functions, notably voice-first companies.
3. 03Expand use throughout high-impact sectors together with well being, agriculture, training, authorized companies and monetary inclusion.
4. 04Connect Nigeria’s universities, non-public sector and authorities by way of a structured innovation ecosystem.
5. 05Cultivate and showcase Nigerian AI expertise nationally and internationally.

Three downside statements

• Build the instruments that make N-ATLAS straightforward to construct with
• Build functions for Nigerians who don’t sort
• Fine-tune N-ATLAS for high-impact Nigerian sectors

General Requirements

• All workforce members have to be Nigerian residents or registered Nigerian entities
• Submission have to be authentic work not beforehand awarded in one other competitors
• Each workforce might undergo just one downside assertion
• Every submission should embody a functioning technical artefact built-in with N-ATLAS
• Applications and supporting supplies have to be in English

Academia & Research

• Team lead enrolled in or employed by an accredited Nigerian college or analysis establishment
• Institutional endorsement letter signed by Head of Department or equal

Innovation & Enterprise

• Individual candidates have to be Nigerian residents aged 18 or above
• Company candidates have to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission
• Diaspora groups will need to have a minimum of 50% of members based mostly in Nigeria

Benefits

For all candidates

Technical Support

• Technical clinics and workplace hours
• N-ATLAS onboarding help
• Technical assets and reference supplies
• University roadshows
• Ecosystem briefings

For shortlisted groups

Acceleration Support

• N-ATLAS API credentials
• Compute credit by way of associate infrastructure
• Technical mentorship throughout acceleration section
• Support to strengthen and harden builds
• Invitations to Nigeria AI Innovators Summit
• Inclusion in NITDA AI expertise registry
• Priority consideration for authorities AI pilots

For winners

Recognition & Opportunities

ACADEMIA & RESEARCH

• NCAIR research-lab partnership
• N-ATLAS co-contributor credit score
• Federal Government recognition
• Publication and model-card help
• National AI researcher registry inclusion

INNOVATION & ENTERPRISE

• Government procurement pathway assessment
• ONDI incubation help
• Investor introductions
• N-ATLAS API integration help
• National AI startup listing inclusion

Application Timeline:

• Applications Open: 22 Sept 2026
• Build & Submission Period: 22 Sept – 12 Oct 2026
• Administrative Check: Rolling Basis
• N-ATLAS Integration Check: 15 – 17 Oct 2026
• Notification: 16 – 20 Oct 2026
• Mentorship Phase: 25 Oct – 4 Nov 2026
• Digital Nigeria Showcase: 8 – 10 Nov 2026

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge