Breaking Barrier: NIMASA Opens Blue Economy Hackathon To Every Nigerian Adult
Breaking Barrier: NIMASA Opens Blue Economy Hackathon To Every Nigerian Adult
…Agency bows to public pressure, scraps age limit for BEAP 2026; Portal now live for all innovators 18 and above
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has thrown the gates of its much-anticipated National Innovation Hackathon 2026 wide open, announcing the complete removal of the age restriction for participation in the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme, NIMASA-BEAP.
The landmark decision, taken after a deluge of appeals from Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones, means every Nigerian from 18 years and above can now compete for a place in Nigeria’s biggest maritime innovation pipeline.
The NIMASA-BEAP application portal, which officially went live on Monday, October 5, 2026, is now accessible to all eligible Nigerians irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion or academic qualification. Application is free.
In a statement, NIMASA urged Nigerian innovators, tech entrepreneurs, researchers, software developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students to take advantage of the inclusive window and submit their groundbreaking ideas.
The National Innovation Hackathon, scheduled to hold from December 8 to 10, 2026, is the Agency’s boldest attempt yet to crowdsource indigenous solutions to Nigeria’s maritime challenges and unlock the multi-trillion-naira opportunities in the blue economy.
The Hackathon is structured around 13 strategic innovation tracks cutting across:
Maritime technology and logistics; maritime safety, surveillance and security; green shipping and vessel decarbonisation; seafarer welfare; port digitisation; marine waste management; aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; coastal and artisanal fishing; ocean data and analytics; nature-based coastal defence; marine tourism; marine biotechnology; and deep seabed mining technologies and research.
Winners will not just walk away with prizes. Successful innovators will earn automatic progression into the intensive 12-week NIMASA-BEAP Accelerator Programme billed for January to April 2027.
The Accelerator will provide structured mentorship from industry titans, venture-building support, technical guidance and direct industry exposure to transform raw ideas into investment-ready ventures.
It will all climax at the National Demo Day in April 2027, where selected startups will pitch before a curated audience of investors, shipowners, industry partners, development agencies and potential customers.
According to NIMASA, BEAP is conceived as more than a competition. It is a national innovation-to-market engine designed to identify brilliant Nigerian solutions, incubate them, and plug them into real opportunities within the marine and blue economy.
The Agency therefore called on Nigerians with workable ideas that can solve problems or create value in the blue economy ecosystem to step forward.
Applications will close on Friday, November 13, 2026.
All applications must be submitted through the official NIMASA-BEAP portal: *https://nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng/*
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