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The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) has opened applications for a nationwide technology innovation competition offering a N10 million prize pool to Nigerian startups and innovation teams developing solutions for underserved communities.
According to a statement from the USPF, the Changemaker Challenge, launched on November 2, 2026, seeks homegrown information and communications technology (ICT) solutions addressing challenges in agriculture, education, healthcare, financial inclusion, and clean and affordable energy.
Applications are open to Nigerian-based innovation teams and early-stage startups across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until November 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. West Africa Time.
USPF competition to bridge Nigeria’s ICT gap
The competition, implemented in partnership with Ubulu Africa, will also offer selected participants national recognition and a four-week incubation programme to help develop their solutions.
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According to the USPF, the initiative is informed by its 2024 ICT gap study, which identified 87 clusters with an estimated population of 23.37 million people in unserved and underserved areas with limited or no access to telecommunications services.
The Fund said digital tools could help address challenges in these communities, particularly in essential sectors such as farming, education, healthcare, energy and financial services.
How the competition will work
The competition is open to teams comprising between two and five members, all aged 18 and above. Participation is free, and applicants are expected to present practical ICT-enabled solutions addressing specific problems outlined in the competition.
Entries will be assessed based on the clarity of their ICT component, their relevance to the published problem statements and evidence that the proposed solutions can work for the communities they are designed to serve.
Following the screening process, 50 teams will be selected to advance to the next stage. The selection will include one team from each of the 36 states and the FCT, alongside 13 additional teams selected based on merit.
- The selected teams will showcase their innovations at Regional Demo Days organised across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
- One team from each zone will subsequently advance to the National Demo Day, where the top three participants will share the N10 million prize pool.
All six national finalists will also participate in a four-week incubation programme designed to support the further development of their solutions.
USPF targets grassroots innovators
Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Odiong Akpan, Chief Executive Officer of Ubulu Africa, said the competition is intended to identify innovators with practical solutions to challenges affecting underserved communities, regardless of their geographical location.
- “Innovation should not be limited by geography. Through the USPF Changemaker Challenge, we want to reach innovators across Nigeria who understand the challenges facing unserved and underserved communities and have practical solutions to address them,” Akpan said.
He encouraged innovation teams with promising ICT-enabled solutions to apply and use the opportunity to showcase their ideas and access support for further development.
Interested applicants can access the eligibility requirements, published problem statements and application form through the USPF website at uspf.gov.ng.
ICT gap in Nigeria
Aside from the USPF study, a recent report by the GSMA revealed that Nigeria accounted for an estimated 140 million people in the mobile internet usage gap in 2025.
According to the organization, the figure represents Nigerians who lived within the footprint of mobile broadband networks but did not use mobile internet services, highlighting the scale of the country’s connectivity challenge despite network availability.
The GSMA defines the mobile internet usage gap as people who live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but do not use mobile internet services.
