Abia Innovator Wins ₦100m for Climate-Smart Poultry Tech

The Federal Government awarded ₦100 million to Adaeze Ruth Akpagbula, co-founder of Farm Speak, for her innovation, the PenKeep Smart Poultry Climate Control System, which addresses climate-related challenges in agriculture. This award was part of the 2026 InnovateNaija Final Pitch Event and Awards Ceremony held in Abuja, organized by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) in partnership with AfriLabs.

The initiative reached over 3,500 young Nigerians and aimed to strengthen Nigeria's innovation ecosystem. Dr Kingsley Udeh, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, represented President Bola Tinubu at the event and emphasized the importance of connecting innovators with investors to commercialize their ideas.

Udeh also mentioned a bill forwarded to the National Assembly for establishing a National Research and Innovation Development Fund to support research and innovations. AfriLabs' Director of Programmes, Nanko Madu, highlighted the initiative's goal of providing mentorship and support to young innovators across Nigeria.