Speaking at the Agency’s headquarters on Monday, May 19, 2025, during the launch of the second phase of the Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-Her) proposal portal, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu  emphasized the goal of doubling the number of female engineers in Nigeria within five years.

He described DELT-Her as a movement encouraging women to lead, with NASENI offering support through funding, mentorship, and exposure to global platforms. “DELT-Her is fueling a wave of women-led solutions to Nigeria’s toughest challenges,” he said.

Citing past success stories such as AI-driven soil monitoring, drone-based security systems, and eco-friendly brake pads, he said over N70.5 million was awarded to six female engineers in the first phase in 2024 with more support planned in the second, adding that NASENI is partnering PICTT and the Czech Republic’s Technology Agency to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem for women.

Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, chairman of PICTT,  in his welcome remarks, described DELT-Her as a flagship project aimed at empowering women, breaking gender barriers, and reshaping Nigeria’s technological future.

He highlighted the urgent need to raise the participation of women in engineering, where they currently make up just five per cent in Nigeria and 28 per cent globally.

According to Dr. Dahiru, the initiative will not only fund successful applicants but also provide mentorship from industry leaders to help transform ideas into viable startups.

He acknowledged the support from the Nigerian Society of Engineers and praised the success stories from the first cohort of DELT-Her recipients.

Sen. Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi, the chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, in his goodwill message pledged the Senate’s continued support for women engineers and scientists.

Minister of Women’s Affairs represented by Mrs. Maryam Chira Keshinro, the permanent secretary, said the initiative is a strategic step towards inclusive innovation and national development, adding that it addresses structural inequalities while improving access to capital and mentorship for women in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Also, speaking President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntola, represented by Engr. Mistura Adenike Rafiu pledged ongoing support for NASENI and PICTT’s efforts in promoting STEM education.

Other speakers including Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizens and Leadership, Mrs. Rinsola Abiola; and the Pioneer Mandate Secretary, Women Affairs Secretariat, FCTA, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins- Laniyi commended the DELT-Her initiative and called on female engineers to continue striving for equality in the engineering profession.

How to Apply

The DELT-Her portal opened for applications and will close on July 31^st 2025.

DELT-Her creates new pathways for Nigerian women in engineering to build, lead, and scale tech solutions with practical, real-world relevance.

The EVC/CEO made this pledge today Friday at NASENI Headquarters, Abuja during the official launch of “Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her” (DELT-Her), an event which also coincided with the global commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD).

Delt-Her, according to Mr. Halilu is an initiative, a subset of Delta-2 programme, floated to close the gender gap in engineering practice in the country, inspire next generation of female engineers, provide financing support for new ideas and projects, translating them into viable businesses, and ultimately to strengthen the entire engineering ecosystem.

Mr. Halilu said, “DELT-Her is what I call an opportunity platform”, through which girls and young women can pitch and present their exciting and groundbreaking engineering ideas, for funding by NASENI, through our collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT).

Speaking further on the project, he said, DELT-Her “seeks to correct the in balance in practice and enterprise development, by focusing attention and funding on young women, and very importantly, creating and cultivating public awareness around the need to train and mentor more women into the engineering professions.

According to him, what this should ideally mean is that women should make up half of all professional spaces in the country but, for now, this is far from reality.

“The global average for female representation in engineering is 28 per cent. In Nigeria, it is only five percent, only one in 20 Nigerian engineers is a woman. This awareness component of the work is one that we will take very seriously, working through schools, and storytelling campaigns.

“We intend to, through DELT-HER, double the number of female engineers in Nigeria over the next five years. This will mean working extensively at the level of secondary education, which is where young girls make the vital decisions regarding choice of professional field”, he affirmed.

Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru, the chairman, PICTT, stated that, “The Committee, through continuous support of NASENI is determined to fund innovative and commercially viable ideas in engineering and technology-oriented proposals by women. Therefore, today’s launch of call for proposals from young women marks the beginning of a chain of events which are expected to lead to engineering start-up companies owned and run by women.”

In her key note address, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, the president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), said DELT-HER initiative sought to address the challenges of practice by the female gender, and to unlock the full potentials of women in engineering.

Other goodwill messages at the event included Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, the chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, who pledged his support for Women in engineering and science sector to ensure that they are given their rightful position in society.

Others who gave goodwill messages include the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola and Chairman, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Engr. Mrs. Katume Giwa.

The event was graced by students from Government Secondary School, Dasara, Kuje, Abuja.