The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has concluded the maiden edition of its Technology Innovation Challenge (TIC) 2026, with three indigenous technology solutions emerging as the top winners of a programme designed to move homegrown ideas from research laboratories into commercial applications across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The grand finale was held on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Nigerian Content Conference Centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, following a multi-stage process that began with more than 100 applications from innovators across the country.
The Technology Innovation Challenge is structured as a Research-to-Commercialisation programme aimed at identifying promising Nigerian technologies, strengthening their development and creating pathways for their adoption within the energy sector. Fifteen finalists were selected from the initial pool and subsequently underwent mentorship, entrepreneurship training and commercialisation bootcamps before presenting their solutions to judges and industry stakeholders at the finale.
GeoPredict AI emerged as the overall winner, receiving a ₦25 million prize for its artificial intelligence-powered platform, which combines seismic, well-log and core data to improve reservoir characterisation and support more informed drilling decisions.
FrassPlus secured second place and won ₦15 million. Its solution applies artificial intelligence and green technology to the use of Black Soldier Fly frass for affordable bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated environments.
Metallocene finished third with a ₦10 million prize for its Met-Ocean corrosion testing unit, developed to support corrosion assessment in offshore environments.
Other finalists included Mar Thermal SIM, BMV-6 Medical Ventilator and MaxFox AeroShield, which also formed part of the cohort that progressed through the programme’s innovation and commercialisation stages.
In his welcome address, the Acting Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at NCDMB, Mr Silas Ajimijaye, thanked participants, industry players and other stakeholders for supporting the initiative. He encouraged companies within the sector to examine opportunities to partner with the innovators and deploy their technologies where applicable.
Ajimijaye also described all the finalists as winners, stressing that their participation represented an important step in developing indigenous technological capacity.
Representing the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe (FNSE, FIPS), at the event, the Director of Corporate Services, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to ensuring that the solutions developed through the challenge progress beyond the innovation stage into sustainable commercial ventures.
He emphasised that commercial success should not be measured simply by getting a product into the market, but by its ability to remain viable and competitive over time. He also challenged innovators to make their laboratories platforms for developing solutions capable of addressing future industry needs.
The initiative also received support from stakeholders across the oil and gas, technology and academic sectors. Representatives and stakeholders associated with NNPC, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Nigerian Building and Transport Institute (NBTI), the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Niger Delta University and NCDMB Centres of Excellence expressed support for the programme and indicated their willingness to deepen collaboration with the innovators.
The Technology Innovation Challenge forms part of NCDMB’s effort to strengthen indigenous research, innovation and technology development by creating a pathway for Nigerian solutions to progress from ideas and prototypes to commercially viable products and services.
With the 2026 edition now concluded, the programme provides a platform for stronger collaboration between innovators, research institutions and industry players, while positioning locally developed technologies for greater application within Nigeria’s energy sector.
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