Uba Sani redeems pledge to Kaduna’s innovators

Governor Uba Sani has redeemed his ₦30 million pledge to young innovators, by providing direct financial support to advance promising projects in technology, scientific research and innovation.

The grant was announced during the 2026 International Youth Day Conference in Kaduna on 4 September, but the cheques were presented to the beneficiaries at the Ministry of Youth Development on Wednesday 16 September.

Beneficiaries include a team of computer engineering students from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, which developed a smart walking aid for visually impaired persons, as well as Al-Amin Mohammed Idris and Shamsudeen Jibril, winners of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) NEXTGEN Challenge.

Also supported was Fauziyya Muhammad Auwal of Kaduna State University (KASU), founder of the space technology initiative ASTHERA. Auwal is the first female astronaut candidate with Titan Space Industries and Nigeria’s first female analogue astronaut selected for the 2026 LunAres Research Station mission in Poland.

Eight microchip designers who were selected for specialised training under the Kaduna State Human Capital Development Initiative also received financial support.

Presenting the cheques on behalf of the Governor, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Gloria Ibrahim, said the intervention demonstrates the administration’s commitment to moving youth empowerment from promises to practical support.

“His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani decided to provide financial support to these young people to help them take their innovations further,’’ the Commissioner added.

Ibrahim said that the ‘’Ministry was established specifically to support our young people, and we expect you to use these resources to build your future, expand your work and bring greater recognition to Kaduna State.”

She explained that although time constraints prevented some of the invited innovators from making presentations during the International Youth Day Conference, the Governor however directed that they should also benefit from the intervention.

Speaking at the presentation, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the ₦30 million intervention reflects the administration’s emphasis on sustained investment in young people, education and innovation.

“This ₦30 million is an investment in your ideas, research and future,” Maiyaki said, adding that “Governor Uba Sani is investing in the next generation, and we expect you to translate this support into deeper research, stronger innovations and practical solutions that can compete anywhere in the world.”

Maiyaki said the intervention forms part of a broader approach to youth and human-capital development, citing state support that has helped expose local innovators to international opportunities and facilitated partnerships in areas including renewable energy and rural electrification.

He also pointed to the administration’s investment in educational infrastructure, including an eight-kilometre road project at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and its inclusion of young people in governance, with more than 40 per cent of political appointees under the age of 40.

Maiyaki urged the beneficiaries to regard the grants as seed support for greater accomplishments rather than an endpoint.

“What matters ultimately is not the amount presented today, but what you build with it. Kaduna has talented young people capable of developing solutions to real problems. Government’s responsibility is to create the environment, open doors and provide the support that enables good ideas to move from laboratories and workshops into solutions that improve lives.”