The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has removed the age restriction for its 2026 National Innovation Hackathon, opening participation to all Nigerians aged 18 and above.
The agency said the decision followed widespread calls from Nigerians seeking to participate in the initiative under its NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP).
In a statement issued on Thursday, NIMASA said its application portal, which opened on October 5, 2026, was accessible to Nigerians regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or educational background.
The agency urged innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students to apply free of charge.
Scheduled for December 8–10, 2026, the hackathon aims to identify innovative solutions to challenges and opportunities across Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy.
The initiative covers 13 innovation areas, including maritime technology and logistics, port digitisation, maritime safety and security, green shipping, seafarer welfare, marine waste management, sustainable fisheries, ocean data analytics, marine tourism, marine biotechnology and deep seabed mining technologies.
Other focus areas include coastal and artisanal fishing, as well as nature-based coastal defence.
Successful participants will have the opportunity to advance to the 12-week NIMASA-BEAP Accelerator Programme, scheduled for January to April 2027.
Selected ventures will receive mentorship, industry exposure and venture-development support to help transform their ideas into viable businesses.
The programme will culminate in a National Demo Day in April 2027, where participants will engage with investors, industry partners, potential customers and other stakeholders.
According to NIMASA, the initiative is designed to go beyond a conventional competition by creating an innovation-to-market pipeline that identifies promising Nigerian solutions, develops them into sustainable ventures and connects them with opportunities in the marine and blue economy.
Applications close on Friday, November 13, 2026. Interested Nigerians can apply through the official portal at https://nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng/.
The statement was signed by Osagie Edward, Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations at NIMASA.
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