NCDMB Names Three Winners Of Oil And Gas Innovation Challenge

By Boluwatife Kehinde-Idowu

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced three winners of its maiden Tech-Innovation Challenge, an initiative to identify and accelerate indigenous technology solutions for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

According to PUNCH, GeoPredict AI emerged as the overall winner, while FrassPlus and Organic Battery, developed under the project name Metallocene, took second and third places respectively. The winners were announced at the final round and awards ceremony held at the NCDMB Tower in Yenagoa on August 13, 2026.

The competition was organised as a flagship initiative of the NCDMB’s Planning, Research and Statistics Directorate and implemented by Entrepreneurship & Innovation Centre Limited. It attracted more than 100 applications from innovators across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, including startups, independent engineers, technology entrepreneurs, universities and research institutions.

The challenge featured a process involving applications, pitching sessions, mentorship, and intensive technical and business development, with the organisers seeking solutions that could address practical challenges in the oil and gas sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, NCDMB Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Silas Ajimijaye, said the initiative was designed to move Nigerian content beyond manpower and ownership towards the development and deployment of indigenous technology.

Ajimijaye urged oil and gas operators to move beyond simply recognising Nigerian innovations and take the next step by procuring and deploying solutions developed locally.

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Also speaking at the event, the Director of Corporate Services and Chairman of the TIC 2026 Steering Committee, Abdulmalik Halilu, who represented NCDMB Executive Secretary Felix Ogbe, challenged industry stakeholders to provide opportunities for the winning innovations to undergo field trials and eventually reach commercial deployment.

The Chief Executive Officer of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Centre Limited, Chika Chinwah, said the competition was created to provide a pathway for existing Nigerian talent to develop practical solutions that can meet real industry needs.

According to Chinwah, the challenge was not simply about discovering new talent but about creating the conditions for existing Nigerian innovators to develop solutions that the oil and gas industry can actually adopt and use.

The initiative is part of broader efforts to deepen local participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by encouraging the development of home-grown technologies and reducing dependence on imported solutions.