The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation

The prize is administered on behalf of Nigeria LNG Limited by the Advisory Board for Science. The current Advisory Board is chaired by Professor Barth Nnaji, internationally-acclaimed professor of robotics, Nigeria’s former Minister of Science and Technology, and former Minister of Power. Other members of the Board are Chief Dr. Nike Akande, a two-time minister and former President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Professor Yusuf Abubakar, a professor of Animal Breeding and Quantitative Genetics and the Coordinator of the Agriculture Group, R & D Standing Committee, at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Members of the Advisory Board for Science

• Professor Barth Nnaji (Chairman) – Distinguished professor of robotics and industrial systems engineering, former Minister of Science and Technology and former Minister of Power. He established the Automation and Robotics Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts.
• Chief Dr. Nike Akande – Industrialist and economist, former Minister of Industry and two-time President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She brings the view of industry on how scientific work can be put to use.
• Professor Yusuf Abubakar – Professor of Animal Breeding and Quantitative Genetics and Coordinator of the Agriculture Group, R & D Standing Committee, at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Implementation of The Nigeria Prize for Science

The overall prize implementation is the responsibility of the Advisory Board, supported by the secretariat which is located within NLNG. They are responsible for:

• Overall governance and administration of the prize.
• Setting the theme for each cycle, which defines the Nigerian problem that entries must help to solve.
• Appointment and supervision of judges and the adjudication process.
• Approval of the outcome of the adjudication process.

Who does what

• Nigeria LNG Limited (sponsor) – Funds the USD 100,000 prize, provides the Prize Secretariat and hosts the Grand Award Ceremony. NLNG has no say in the judging.
• The Advisory Board (oversight) – Sets the rules and the theme, appoints the judges and approves the result of the judging.
• The panel of judges (assessment) – National and international specialists who assess every eligible entry and recommend a winner to the Advisory Board.

Announcement and award

When an entry has been found worthy of winning the Prize, the name of the winner(s) is announced in a Press Conference in September, and the winner(s) is rewarded in a Grand Award Ceremony in October, commemorating the first export of LNG cargo by NLNG on October 9, 1999.

The call for entries, eligibility rules and the theme for the current cycle are published here by the Secretariat when entries open.

Who can enter

• Scientists from anywhere in the world, working alone or as a team.
• The work must offer a solution to the Nigerian problem set out in the theme for the cycle, as defined and advertised by the Advisory Board.

Preparing your entry

Have the evidence for your work ready: for example publications, patents, field results and data, together with a short summary of the innovation and the problem it solves. The call for entries lists the exact documents required and the closing date.

No entry fee

There is no fee to enter. Nigeria LNG Limited pays for the administration and judging of the prize. Be wary of anyone who asks for payment to submit an entry.

When entries are open, apply on the Apply page.

Past winners will be listed here.