Applications are currently being accepted for The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026 for Young Nigerian Developers. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge
The National AI Innovation Challenge is designed to deepen the technical development, adoption and practical 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 large language model. Fine-tuned from Llama-3 8B, it supports Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, with Automatic Speech Recognition for voice applications.
The challenge directs Nigerian talent towards building developer tools, voice-first applications, and sector-specific AI solutions on N-ATLAS.
Benefits of The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge
For all applicants
Technical Support
- Technical clinics and office hours
- N-ATLAS onboarding support
- Technical resources and reference materials
- University roadshows
- Ecosystem briefings
For shortlisted teams
Acceleration Support
- N-ATLAS API credentials
- Compute credits through partner infrastructure
- Technical mentorship during acceleration phase
- Support to strengthen and harden builds
- Invitations to Nigeria AI Innovators Summit
- Inclusion in NITDA AI talent registry
- Priority consideration for government AI pilots
For winners
Recognition & Opportunities
ACADEMIA & RESEARCH
- NCAIR research-lab partnership
- N-ATLAS co-contributor credit
- Federal Government recognition
- Publication and model-card support
- National AI researcher registry inclusion
INNOVATION & ENTERPRISE
- Government procurement pathway review
- ONDI incubation support
- Investor introductions
- N-ATLAS API integration support
- National AI startup directory inclusion
The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge Requirements
- All team members must be Nigerian citizens or registered Nigerian entities
- Submission must be original work not previously awarded in another competition
- Each team may submit to only one problem statement
- Every submission must include a functioning technical artefact integrated with N-ATLAS
- Applications and supporting materials must be in English
Application Date and Process
- Click on the link to the application website to apply.
Application Deadline
12 October, 2026
Opportunity Application
View details of
The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge
Apply for The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge
