NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026

Contexte

Applications are now open for the 2026 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.

Missions et responsabilités

• Deepen the technical development of N-ATLAS through working developer tools, fine-tuned models, datasets and ecosystem contributions.
• Accelerate adoption through deployable, real-world applications, particularly voice-first services.
• Expand use across high-impact sectors including health, agriculture, education, legal services and financial inclusion.
• Connect Nigeria’s universities, private sector and government through a structured innovation ecosystem.
• Cultivate and showcase Nigerian AI talent nationally and internationally.

Three problem statements

• Build the tools that make N-ATLAS easy to build with
• Build applications for Nigerians who do not type
• Fine-tune N-ATLAS for high-impact Nigerian sectors

Profil recherché

General 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

Academia & Research

• Team lead enrolled in or employed by an accredited Nigerian university or research institution
• Institutional endorsement letter signed by Head of Department or equivalent

Innovation & Enterprise

• Individual applicants must be Nigerian citizens aged 18 or above
• Company applicants must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission
• Diaspora teams must have at least 50% of members based in Nigeria

Conditions et avantages

Benefits 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

For winners – Recognition & Opportunities (Innovation & Enterprise)

• Government procurement pathway review
• ONDI incubation support
• Investor introductions
• N-ATLAS API integration support
• National AI startup directory inclusion

Dossier de candidature

• Original work submission
• Functioning technical artefact integrated with N-ATLAS
• Applications and supporting materials in English
• Institutional endorsement letter signed by Head of Department or equivalent (for Academia & Research stream)

Comment postuler

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

Date limite : 12 October 2026, 11:59 PM (WAT)

For More Information: Visit the Official Webpage of the NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge