Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike
… making engineering innovation accessible and compelling to people beyond the technical community.
Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd announces renowned Nollywood actor and engineering enthusiast Emeka Ike as the host of the third edition of the National Automation Prize (NAP 2026), a national engineering and technology competition that brings innovation, practical problem-solving and reality television together on one stage.
Under the theme “Build for Nigeria. Automate for Scale. Compete with the World,” NAP 2026 will celebrate Nigerians building solutions for industrial productivity and everyday challenges in manufacturing, energy, agriculture, water, security and public infrastructure.
A new spotlight on Nigerian engineering talent
From hands-on demonstrations and mentoring to high-energy competitive challenges, the programme aims to make engineering innovation accessible and compelling to viewers beyond the technical community. Emeka Ike’s familiar screen presence is expected to help bridge entertainment and engineering, inspiring students, inventors, institutions and the wider public.
“I am an engineer by training, a Nollywood actor by profession and a passionate believer in Nigerian ingenuity. I know what entertainment has done for Nigeria’s global reputation, and I believe engineering and technology can do even more for our economic future. The National Automation Prize 2026 is about discovering the minds that will build tomorrow’s Nigeria. It is time to put our engineers and Technologists on the biggest stage, celebrate their brilliance and show the world what Nigerian innovation can achieve.”
“We have spent decades celebrating talent in music, film and sports. It is time to give our engineers, inventors and technology creators the same national applause. Innovation deserves the spotlight,” Emeka Ike Said.
The First Edition NAP 2024 demonstration shows how practical engineering can be made visible and engaging
“The National Automation Prize 2026 is more than a competition; it is a movement to discover, celebrate and empower Nigeria’s brightest engineering and technology talents. Having Emeka Ike as our host brings a powerful blend of engineering, entertainment and inspiration to our mission of making innovation a national priority.”
-Engr. Anthony James, Managing Director, Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd.
Not just a prize. A new definition of celebrity.
The next breakthrough could come from a student developing a low-cost water-treatment controller, a team automating a factory process, or an independent inventor applying robotics to agriculture. Their work may not begin on a red carpet — but its impact could reach far beyond one.
NAP 2026 plans to bring those stories to a wider audience while connecting innovators to educators, manufacturers, industry leaders and potential partners. Planned television outreach includes Major National Television as well as Cable TV; specific broadcast arrangements remain subject to confirmation.
From early awards to a national ambition
Previous editions in 2024 and 2025 established the initiative’s foundation where Participants are awarded millions of Naira in cash Price for their engineering and Technological ingenuity. The 2026 is promising to be a blockbuster with mouth watering price reward of over ₦50m with individual and Higher Institution categories
A prize presentation from a first edition of the National Automation Prize in 2024.
The Higher Institution category also include the building of state-of-the-art digitalized equipment as well as training/mentorship for the first three top institutions.
These equipment prizes matter because their value can continue long after the cameras leave — supporting student projects, laboratory teaching and practical exposure to industrial systems.
Why the story matters beyond the stage
For Advanxis, the ambition is not simply to discover one brilliant winner. It is to challenge a broader assumption: that Nigeria must remain primarily a buyer of technology designed elsewhere. The organisers want more young people to see engineering as a route to invention, enterprise and industrial development.
From automation and robotics to artificial intelligence, energy, agriculture, manufacturing and water infrastructure, the country’s most urgent needs can become starting points for practical innovation.
The prize also creates a compelling proposition for universities, polytechnics, research organisations, sponsors and industry partners: help turn promising prototypes into useful systems, and help the people behind them build careers and companies.
NAP 2025 winner Samuel Udofia speaking during the televised event
A new kind of national hero
A movie star can move an audience. An engineer can move an industry. NAP 2026 is built around the possibility that, together, those two kinds of influence can change what a generation aspires to become.
When Emeka Ike steps onto the NAP stage, the spotlight will not be on celebrity alone. It will be on young Nigerians who can transform an idea into a working system — and perhaps a working system into a solution the nation needs.
The next Nigerian superstar may not be holding a script or a microphone. They may be holding the blueprint to Nigeria’s future.
About the National Automation Prize
The National Automation Prize is an engineering and technology innovation competition organised by Advanxis Technologies & Process Automation Ltd. Its third edition seeks to bridge education, innovation and industry for a smarter Nigeria through technical challenges, recognition and practical industrial support.
For more Information, participation and Partnership visit www.advanxis.com/prize3
