Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has redeemed his N30 million pledge to young innovators in the state, providing financial support for projects in technology, scientific research and innovation.
The grant was announced during the 2026 International Youth Day Conference in Kaduna on September 4, while cheques were presented to the beneficiaries at the Ministry of Youth Development on Wednesday.
Among the beneficiaries are a team of computer engineering students from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who developed a smart walking aid for visually impaired persons.
Also supported were Al-Amin Mohammed Idris and Shamsudeen Jibril, winners of the National Board for Technology Incubation NEXTGEN Challenge.
Fauziyya Muhammad Auwal of Kaduna State University, KASU, founder of the space technology initiative ASTHERA, was also among the beneficiaries.
Auwal is the first female astronaut candidate with Titan Space Industries and Nigeria’s first female analogue astronaut selected for the 2026 LunAres Research Station mission in Poland.
Eight microchip designers selected for specialised training under the Kaduna State Human Capital Development Initiative also received financial support.
Presenting the cheques on behalf of the governor, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Gloria Ibrahim, said the intervention demonstrated the administration’s commitment to providing practical support for young people.
“His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, decided to provide financial support to these young people to help them take their innovations further,” she said.
Ibrahim said the Ministry of Youth Development was established to support young people and urged the beneficiaries to use the resources to expand their projects and contribute to the development of Kaduna State.
She explained that some of the innovators invited to make presentations at the International Youth Day Conference could not do so because of time constraints.
She said the governor subsequently directed that they should also benefit from the intervention.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the N30 million intervention reflected the administration’s emphasis on youth development, education and innovation.
“This N30 million is an investment in your ideas, research and future,” Mr Maiyaki said.
He urged the beneficiaries to translate the support into stronger research, innovations and practical solutions.
Mr Maiyaki said the intervention was part of the state government’s broader human-capital development efforts, adding that the administration had supported initiatives exposing young innovators to international opportunities and partnerships in areas such as renewable energy and rural electrification.
He also cited investments in educational infrastructure, including an eight-kilometre road project at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
According to him, the administration has also increased the participation of young people in governance, with more than 40 per cent of political appointees under the age of 40.
Mr Maiyaki urged the beneficiaries to regard the grants as seed support rather than an endpoint.
“What matters ultimately is not the amount presented today, but what you build with it.
“Kaduna has talented young people capable of developing solutions to real problems. Government’s responsibility is to create the environment, open doors and provide the support that enables good ideas to move from laboratories and workshops into solutions that improve lives,” he said.