NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026 for Nigerian Developers and Innovators
Applications are open for the NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026, a build-only competition for developers and teams creating practical Nigerian AI solutions. The challenge focuses on technical development, adoption and real-world use of Nigeria’s sovereign AI capabilities through N-ATLAS.
Applicants must submit a functioning technical artefact genuinely integrated with N-ATLAS. Concept notes, proposals, slide decks, research papers, frameworks, mock-ups and wireframes without a functional build do not meet the submission requirement.
About National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) / National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR)
The National AI Innovation Challenge is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. It is implemented through the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI) and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), in partnership with Awarri Technologies.
NITDA is Nigeria’s national information technology development agency, while NCAIR focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics and related emerging technologies. Through this challenge, the implementing partners are supporting the development and practical deployment of AI systems designed for Nigerian languages, users and priority sectors.
About The NITDA National AI Innovation Challenge 2026
The 2026 challenge is centred on N-ATLAS, the Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale. N-ATLAS is an open-source multilingual large language model fine-tuned from Llama-3 8B. It supports Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, with Automatic Speech Recognition capabilities for voice applications.
Teams must build solutions that use N-ATLAS directly and demonstrate practical value. Submissions must include evidence of testing with real users, real data or live benchmarks, depending on the selected track. Each team may submit to only one problem statement.
The challenge targets developer tools, voice-first applications and sector-specific AI solutions. Priority areas include education, primary healthcare, agriculture, legal and civic services, and financial literacy or inclusion.
Available Tracks
- Developer Infrastructure
- Voice-First Access
- Sectoral Fine-Tuning
1. Developer Infrastructure
This track is for tools that make N-ATLAS easier for other developers to integrate, test, adapt and deploy. The solution must directly integrate with N-ATLAS; wrapping another general-purpose model does not qualify.
Examples of eligible solutions include:
- Python or JavaScript software development kits;
- Browser-based playgrounds;
- Fine-tuning starter kits;
- Evaluation tools; and
- Developer documentation.
Submissions in this track must include at least two external beta testers.
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2. Voice-First Access
This track focuses on accessible services for Nigerians who do not type, using voice and supported Nigerian languages. Solutions may be delivered through WhatsApp voice-note services, USSD-based voice applications, interactive voice response systems or low-bandwidth mobile applications.
Applications may address education, agricultural advisory, primary health information, civic information or financial literacy. Voice input must use the official N-ATLAS ASR service for the relevant language.
Submissions in this track must include at least 50 documented real user interactions.
3. Sectoral Fine-Tuning
This track is for teams fine-tuning N-ATLAS for one clearly defined Nigerian sector or domain. Target domains include education, primary healthcare and community health, smallholder agriculture, legal rights and civic literacy, and basic financial literacy.
The submission must demonstrate measurable improvement over base N-ATLAS. The fine-tuned model must also be deployed through a documented API that another developer can integrate.
Submissions in this track must include a benchmark of at least 500 examples against base N-ATLAS.
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Eligibility And Submission Requirements
- Applicants must submit a functioning technical artefact.
- The artefact must be genuinely integrated with N-ATLAS.
- Each team may submit to only one problem statement.
- Submissions and supporting materials must be prepared in English.
- Submissions must include evidence of testing with real users, real data or live benchmarks.
- The work must be original and must not have previously received an award in another competition.
- Developer Infrastructure submissions must include at least two external beta testers.
- Voice-First Access submissions must use the official N-ATLAS ASR service for the relevant language and document at least 50 real user interactions.
- Sectoral Fine-Tuning submissions must show measurable improvement over base N-ATLAS, provide a documented integration API and include a benchmark of at least 500 examples.
Non-functional concepts and documentation alone do not satisfy the requirements. This includes concept notes, proposals, slide decks, research papers, frameworks, mock-ups and wireframes that are not supported by a working build.
Assessment Criteria
Submissions are assessed using the following criteria:
- Working artefact and technical rigour;
- Quality and depth of N-ATLAS integration;
- Real-world validation;
- Impact potential;
- Scalability and sustainability; and
- Team capability.
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Programme Timeline
- Applications opened: 22 September 2026
- Application deadline: 12 October 2026 at 11:59 PM WAT
- N-ATLAS Integration Check: 15–17 October 2026
- Shortlisting notifications: 16–20 October 2026
- Mentorship phase: 25 October–4 November 2026
- Digital Nigeria Showcase: 8–10 November 2026
Late submissions will not be accepted. Applicants should ensure that their build, supporting evidence and other materials are ready before the deadline.
Application Details
- Location: Nigeria
- Format: Build and submission phase, followed by a digital showcase
- Application email: naic@nitda.gov.ng
Applications and supporting materials must be submitted through the official challenge application channel. The dedicated application link contains the submission details and requirements.