Abuja: The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has reiterated its commitment to strengthening engineering education by linking academia with the industrial sector to drive growth in Nigeria. The NSE President, Margaret Oguntala, highlighted this during her keynote address at the inauguration of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the national programme is designed to identify, nurture, and commercialise engineering talent across tertiary institutions. The Olympiad also aims to address needs in infrastructure, manufacturing, energy transition, sustainability, and digital technology, with the ultimate goal of producing job-creating engineers, problem solvers, and globally competitive innovators. The event was organised by Enactus Nigeria in partnership with NSE, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Renaissance Africa Energy Company (RAEC), and the First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E and P).
Oguntala emphasized the importance of new ideas for professional development and community impact, stating that great nations rely on creative minds to advance growth and development. She stressed the need for stakeholders from government agencies, academia, industry leaders, and media to prioritise NEO.
In his remarks, Omatsola Ogbe, Executive-Secretary of NCDMB, commended the Olympiad for aligning with the Federal Government’s policy drive for indigenous innovation and industrial competitiveness. Represented by Abayomi Bamidele, Director of Capacity Building at NCDMB, he explained that ongoing capacity building programmes would help reinforce the Olympiad’s talent pipeline. He noted that engineering skills deficit contributed to a shortage of competent local engineers, reliance on expatriates, and increasing brain drain.
Enactus Nigeria’s Country Director, Michael Ajayi, stressed the importance of collaboration across government, private sector, and civil society for national-scale impact. Ajayi highlighted that the Olympiad encourages students to apply classroom knowledge to real-life problem-solving and enables them to build engineering-driven businesses that generate jobs and wealth.
The Olympiad, designed to run a seven-month cycle, will include regional contests, intensive mentorship, prototype development, and a national grand finale scheduled for April 2026. The event’s highpoint included goodwill messages from Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, represented by Tech Adviser Ebiho Agun, and Dr Adebisi Osim, President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, along with the unveiling of the website and a call to action.