NIMASA-BEAP: Portal Opens to Nigerians as Age Barrier is Removed

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has announced the removal of the age restriction for participation in its National Innovation Hackathon 2026, under the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP), following widespread demand from Nigerians seeking to participate in the initiative.

The agency in a statement said the NIMASA-BEAP application portal, which opened recently is now available to all Nigerians aged 18 years and above, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or educational background.

“NIMASA is therefore urging Nigerian innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students to take advantage of the opportunity and submit their applications on the portal at no cost. The National Innovation Hackathon, scheduled for December 2026, is designed to identify innovative solutions to challenges and opportunities across Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy.

“The Hackathon features 13 innovation tracks, covering areas including 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,” it said.