Listen to story here
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has removed the age restriction for its National Innovation Hackathon 2026, throwing the doors open to every Nigerian aged 18 and above.
The decision, under the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP), follows widespread public demand for wider participation.
The application portal opened on Monday, October 5, 2026. Applications are free and close on Friday, November 13, 2026. Eligibility cuts across gender, ethnicity, religion and educational background.
NIMASA is urging innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students to apply through the official NIMASA-BEAP portal.
The National Innovation Hackathon, holding December 8–10, 2026, will search for homegrown solutions to challenges and opportunities in Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy.
It spans 13 innovation tracks: maritime technology and logistics; maritime safety, surveillance and security; green shipping and vessel decarbonisation; seafarer welfare; port digitisation; and marine waste management.
Others are aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; coastal and artisanal fishing; ocean data and analytics; nature-based coastal defence; marine tourism; marine biotechnology; and deep seabed mining technologies and research.
Successful innovators will advance to the 12-week NIMASA-BEAP Accelerator Programme, running from January to April 2027. Selected ventures will receive structured mentorship, industry exposure and venture-development support.
The programme ends with a National Demo Day in April 2027, where participants will pitch to investors, industry partners, potential customers and other stakeholders.
NIMASA describes NIMASA-BEAP as more than a competition: a national innovation-to-market pipeline built to identify promising Nigerian solutions, grow them into viable ventures and connect them to opportunities in the marine and blue economy.
Interested applicants are required to apply through the official NIMASA-BEAP portal: https://nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng/
