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Nigeria Short Course Fully Funded

National AI Innovation Challenge 2026: Build on Nigeria’s Sovereign AI Model

The National AI Innovation Challenge 2026 invites Nigerian teams to build working developer tools, voice-first applications, and sector-specific AI solutions on N-ATLAS, Nigeria's sovereign multilingual large language model. This build-only competition runs from 22 September to 12 October 2026 with acceleration support and government recognition for winners.

October 5, 2026 ⏰ Deadline: 7 days left

Quick Overview

Host CountryNigeria
Degree LevelShort Course
Funding TypeFully Funded
Fields of StudyArtificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Software Engineering
DeadlineOctober 12, 2026

Scholarship Overview

Overview

The National AI Innovation Challenge (NAIC) 2026 is a build-only competition designed to deepen the development, adoption and practical use of Nigeria’s sovereign AI capabilities. At its 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.

Unlike typical innovation challenges that accept proposals or concepts, NAIC requires every team to submit a functioning technical artefact integrated with N-ATLAS. The challenge directs Nigerian talent toward three specific problem areas: developer infrastructure, voice-first access, and sectoral fine-tuning.

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What is N-ATLAS?

N-ATLAS is Nigeria’s sovereign AI foundation model with these capabilities:

  • Multilingual LLM supporting Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English
  • Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for voice-driven applications
  • Open-source model fine-tuned from Llama-3 8B

The challenge moves N-ATLAS from model availability to national infrastructure by requiring teams to build tools, applications and specialised adaptations that developers, businesses and citizens can actually use.

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Three Problem Statements

Teams must select exactly one problem statement. All require genuine N-ATLAS integration.

01 Developer Infrastructure

Build tools that make N-ATLAS easy to build with. Example solutions include Python or JavaScript SDKs, interactive browser-based playgrounds, fine-tuning starter kits, and bilingual developer documentation. Key requirement: the solution must directly integrate with N-ATLAS. Wrapping another general-purpose model disqualifies the submission.

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02 Voice-First Access

Build applications for Nigerians who do not type. N-ATLAS includes ASR capabilities for Nigerian languages. Delivery channels include WhatsApp voice note services, USSD-based voice applications, interactive voice response systems, and low-bandwidth mobile applications. Use cases span education, agricultural advisory, primary health information, civic information and financial literacy. Voice input must use the official N-ATLAS ASR service.

03 Sectoral Fine-Tuning

Fine-tune N-ATLAS for high-impact Nigerian sectors. Target domains include education and learning, primary healthcare and community health, smallholder agriculture, legal rights and civic literacy, and basic financial literacy. Requirements: fine-tune for one clearly defined domain, demonstrate measurable improvement over base N-ATLAS, and deploy through a documented API another developer can integrate.

Participation Tracks

Both tracks compete under any problem statement. The difference is who is applying and the documentation required.

Track A: Academia & Research

For university-based research teams, academic AI labs, postgraduate researchers and faculty.

  • Team size: 2–5 members
  • At least one enrolled student or postgraduate researcher
  • Faculty supervisor required
  • Institutional endorsement letter from Head of Department
  • Typical builds: developer tools, benchmarks, fine-tuned models, evaluation datasets, NLP components

Track B: Innovation & Enterprise

For registered startups, technology companies, social enterprises, independent developers and innovation hubs.

  • Team size: 2–5 members
  • CAC certificate for registered organisations
  • Valid ID for individual applicants
  • At least 50% of team based in Nigeria (for diaspora participation)
  • Typical builds: deployable applications, voice-first products, sector-specific APIs, scalable tools

Eligibility Requirements

General requirements (all teams):

  • 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

Not eligible: Non-Nigerian citizens or entities; previously awarded submissions; concept-only proposals without working builds; solutions not integrated with N-ATLAS.

What You Must Submit

Every application requires seven components:

  1. Working Artefact: Repository, deployed application, published model, live API or dataset
  2. N-ATLAS Integration Evidence: Documentation showing how the solution integrates with N-ATLAS
  3. Real-World Validation: Evidence of testing with actual users, real data or live benchmarks
  4. Technical Documentation: Architecture, setup and usage documentation
  5. Video Demonstration: 3–5 minute video showing the solution operating end to end
  6. Team Profile: Names, affiliations, roles for all team members
  7. Endorsement / Registration: Institutional letter (Track A) or CAC certificate / ID (Track B)

Validation requirements by problem statement:

  • Developer Infrastructure: At least 2 external beta testers
  • Voice-First Access: Minimum 50 documented real user interactions
  • Sectoral Fine-Tuning: Benchmark of 500+ examples vs base N-ATLAS

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions are assessed by a multidisciplinary panel of technical AI experts, sector specialists and representatives of ONDI and NCAIR. Evaluation focuses heavily on the quality of the working build and depth of N-ATLAS integration.

  1. Working Artefact & Technical Rigour
  2. N-ATLAS Integration
  3. Real-World Validation
  4. Impact Potential
  5. Scalability & Sustainability
  6. Team Capability

Benefits and Support

For all applicants:

  • Technical clinics and office hours
  • N-ATLAS onboarding support
  • Technical resources and reference materials
  • University roadshows
  • Ecosystem briefings

For shortlisted teams:

  • N-ATLAS API credentials
  • Compute credits through partner infrastructure
  • Technical mentorship during acceleration phase (25 Oct – 4 Nov 2026)
  • 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:

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.

Timeline

  • Applications Open: 22 September 2026
  • Build & Submission Period: 22 September – 12 October 2026
  • Administrative Check: Rolling basis
  • N-ATLAS Integration Check: 15 – 17 October 2026
  • Shortlisting Notification: 16 – 20 October 2026
  • Mentorship Phase: 25 October – 4 November 2026
  • Digital Nigeria Showcase: 8 – 10 November 2026

Application Deadline: 12 October 2026, 11:59 PM (WAT). Late submissions will not be accepted.

How to Apply

  1. Review eligibility requirements and select your track (Academia & Research or Innovation & Enterprise)
  2. Choose one problem statement (Developer Infrastructure, Voice-First Access, or Sectoral Fine-Tuning)
  3. Access N-ATLAS technical resources and begin building your solution
  4. Prepare all seven submission components including working artefact, integration evidence, and real-world validation
  5. Submit through the official application portal before 12 October 2026, 11:59 PM (WAT)

Advice for SADC Applicants

This opportunity is exclusively for Nigerian citizens and entities. Researchers and developers from Zimbabwe and other SADC countries cannot apply directly. However, if you are a Nigerian national residing in the SADC region, you may participate as an individual applicant (Track B) or form a team with at least 50% of members based in Nigeria. Consider this challenge as a model for advocating similar sovereign AI infrastructure programmes in your own country.

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Official scholarship page: https://ncair.nitda.gov.ng/naic/

Funding Coverage

No cash prize amount published. Winners receive acceleration support, API credentials, compute credits, technical mentorship, government recognition, incubation support, investor introductions, and inclusion in national AI talent registries and directories.

Eligibility Criteria

Nigerian citizens or registered Nigerian entities only. Teams of 2-5 members. Two tracks: Academia & Research (university-based with faculty supervisor) and Innovation & Enterprise (startups, companies, independent developers). Diaspora teams must have at least 50% of members based in Nigeria.

Required Documents

Seven required components: (1) Working artefact, (2) N-ATLAS integration evidence, (3) Real-world validation evidence, (4) Technical documentation, (5) 3-5 minute video demonstration, (6) Team profile with names/affiliations/roles, (7) Institutional endorsement letter from Head of Department (Track A) or CAC certificate/valid ID (Track B).

Application Process

1) Review eligibility and select track, 2) Choose one problem statement, 3) Access N-ATLAS resources and build solution, 4) Prepare all seven submission components with real-world validation, 5) Submit via official portal before deadline. Build-only challenge: concept proposals without working artefacts are disqualified.
Apply Now — Official Website

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Frequently Asked Questions

No. All team members must be Nigerian citizens or registered Nigerian entities. Non-Nigerian citizens and foreign entities are explicitly not eligible. Diaspora teams may participate only if at least 50% of members are based in Nigeria.
No application fee is mentioned in the programme materials. The challenge provides free technical support, N-ATLAS onboarding, and resources to all applicants. Shortlisted teams receive additional compute credits and API credentials at no cost.
The deadline is 12 October 2026 at 11:59 PM (WAT). Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances. The submission window is only three weeks (22 September – 12 October 2026), so begin building well before the opening date.
No. This is a build-only challenge. Research papers without functional builds, slide presentations, frameworks, mock-ups, wireframes, and concept documents are explicitly listed as insufficient. Every submission must include a working technical artefact integrated with N-ATLAS and tested with real users, data or benchmarks.
Selection depends entirely on your working build's quality, depth of N-ATLAS integration, and real-world validation. No success rates are published. Winners receive non-monetary benefits including NCAIR research partnerships or ONDI incubation support, government procurement pathway review, investor introductions, technical mentorship, compute credits, and inclusion in national AI talent registries. No cash prize amount is specified.
No. Submissions that wrap general-purpose models like GPT-4 instead of genuinely integrating N-ATLAS will be disqualified. The core requirement is demonstrable integration with N-ATLAS, Nigeria's sovereign multilingual model. Each problem statement has specific integration requirements: direct N-ATLAS use for infrastructure, official N-ATLAS ASR service for voice applications, and direct derivation from N-ATLAS for fine-tuning.

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