Put your challenges in front of Africa’s best builders
Don’t let operational bottlenecks slow you down. The Builders
Festival connects your organization’s toughest challenges with Africa’s most innovative startups ready to deploy solutions that work
The Builders Festival connects your organization’s toughest challenges with Africa’s most
innovative startups ready to deploy solutions that work
builders festival powered by
Innovation Without the Guesswork
We aren’t just looking for “ideas.” We are matching
your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
Problem-Solution Matching
We are matching your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
De-Risked Innovation
Reduce the guesswork in procurement and digital transformation by working with validated tech talent.
National Impact
Your participation helps build a sustainable pipeline for the DNICE ecosystem, driving ₦3 billion in economic growth.
Beyond the Pitch. A Real Opportunity.
Direct Market Access
Skip the cold emails. Get matched directly with MDAs and corporates that have already declared a need for what you’re building.
The ₦3 Billion Opportunity
Gain access to a massive funding and contract pipeline, including venture capital, angel investment, and government innovation support.
Elite Masterclasses
Beyond the demo, get access to elite facilitators for intensive workshops on Product, Engineering, and GTM strategy.
The Deal Room
At DNICE 2026, You're matched with institutions that have already seen your product. Sit down, negotiate, and leave with a signed pilot agreement or MoU in hand.
Innovation Without the Guesswork
We aren’t just looking for “ideas.” We are matching
your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
Problem-Solution Matching
We are matching your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
De-Risked Innovation
Reduce the guesswork in procurement and digital transformation by working with validated tech talent.
National Impact
Your participation helps build a sustainable pipeline for the DNICE ecosystem, driving ₦3 billion in economic growth.
Innovation Without the Guesswork
We aren’t just looking for “ideas.” We are matching
your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
Problem-Solution Matching
We are matching your specific institutional needs with startups that have existing, scalable products.
De-Risked Innovation
Reduce the guesswork in procurement and digital transformation by working with validated tech talent.
National Impact
Your participation helps build a sustainable pipeline for the DNICE ecosystem, driving ₦3 billion in economic growth.
Money Is Already on the Table.
These are real, anonymised challenges already submitted by Nigeria’s top institutions. If your product solves any of these, you belong in the showcase.
GovTech · Digital Civil Registration & Data Management
A unified digital registry to capture birth/death records at the last mile, utilizing AI for population forecasting and ensuring secure inter-agency data exchange.
3 days ago
DeepTech · DeepTech & Telecoms Infrastructure
A platform for managing community-level satellite gateways and affordable rural user plans.
7 days ago
DeepTech · Satellite Bandwidth Marketplace
A marketplace mechanism for on-demand, regionally provisioned beam leasing with transparent pricing.
7 days ago
DeepTech · Trust & Service Quality Improvement
A real-time network health visibility and automated support ticketing system to improve SLAs.
8 days ago
GovTech · Digital Cargo & Transit Monitoring
A real-time tracking integration to monitor cargo integrity and detect diversion risks across borders.
7 days ago
GovTech · Unified Compliance & Revenue Dashboard
A centralized data aggregation tool linking declarations, payments, and audit findings for timely management insight.
7 days ago
DeepTech · Secure Space Data & API Access
An isolated testing environment for startups to authenticate and experiment with satellite data and APIs securely.
8 days ago
FinTech · AI Service Monitoring
A proactive monitoring solution using AI for real-time anomaly detection, automated root-cause analysis, and predictive insights.
7 days ago
DeepTech · Broadband Capacity Optimization
A system to address rigid bandwidth allocation and distribute capacity efficiently.
8 days ago
DeepTech · Satellite Interference Detection
A continuous beam integrity monitoring platform to detect interference and trigger automated mitigation.
7 days ago
GovTech · AI Customs Risk Profiling
A predictive analytics engine to detect high-risk declarations, misclassifications, and non-compliance patterns.
7 days ago
EdTech ·Library Management & Tracking System
An automated book tracking and circulation management system replacing manual record-keeping.
7 days ago
EdTech ·Library Management & Tracking System
An automated book tracking and circulation management system replacing manual record-keeping.
7 days ago
EdTech · Internet Usage & Bandwidth Management
An intelligent monitoring tool for internet consumption visibility and proactive cybersecurity management.
7 days ago
EdTech · Centralized ICT Maintenance System
A centralized, automated database for tracking the maintenance history of ICT equipment across departments.
7 days ago
EdTech · Centralized ICT Maintenance System
A proactive monitoring solution using AI for real-time anomaly detection, automated root-cause analysis, and predictive insights.
7 days ago
FinTech · AI Service Monitoring
A proactive monitoring solution using AI for real-time anomaly detection, automated root-cause analysis, and predictive insights.
7 days ago
FinTech · SME Finance & Supply Chain Visibility
A platform integrating cross-bank and alternative data (POS, invoicing) to create holistic financial profiles for SME lending.
7 days ago
FinTech · Cross-Border Payment Dashboard
A centralized dashboard to facilitate faster trader and buyer settlements across the West-East Africa trade corridor.
7 days ago
HealthTech · Unified Citizen Complaint Channel
A voice-first, dialect-agnostic complaint logging system (IVR/USSD) that automatically transcribes and routes tickets.
7 days ago
GovTech · IoT Road Maintenance Verification
A system combining IoT road health data with a digital proof-of-presence (geofenced) verification tool for road maintenance workers.
7 days ago
HealthTech · Unified Patient Identity System
A lightweight infrastructure to assign and resolve unique health identifiers for individuals across public and private facilities.
7 days ago
HealthTech · Vaccine Supply Chain Visibility
A real-time visibility tool for medicine availability and stockout monitoring, integrating with facility and pharmacy APIs.
7 days ago
GovTech · Ministry Tool Management System
A digital management workflow to track, allocate, and monitor the health of computing equipment and digital tools for ministry staff.
7 days ago
Beyond the Pitch. A Real Opportunity.
01
Direct Market Access
Skip the cold emails. Get matched directly with MDAs and corporates that have already declared a need for what you’re building.
The ₦3 Billion Opportunity
Gain access to a massive funding and contract pipeline, including venture capital, angel investment, and government innovation support.
02
03
Elite Masterclasses
Beyond the demo, get access to elite facilitators for intensive workshops on Product, Engineering, and GTM strategy.
The Deal Room
At DNICE 2026, You're matched with institutions that have already seen your product. Sit down, negotiate, and leave with a signed pilot agreement or MoU in hand.
04
Tell Us What's Broken
Your challenge will be reviewed by our PMO and confidentially matched to startups with proven solutions.
Your Challenges Are in Safe Hands
Designed with the security requirements of MDAs and financial institutions in mind. Your data never leaves our controlled framework.
NITDA Led
Backed by the full authority and national trust of the National Information Technology Development Agency — Nigeria’s foremost digital governance body.
Data Privacy First
Your internal challenges are handled within a confidential framework. Only abstracted, anonymised requirements are shared during the startup matching phase.
Strategic Oversight
Every match is reviewed by a joint Steering Committee of industry veterans and government leaders before any introduction is made.
Applications close on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Limited Time
Secure Your Spot at Africa’s Most Digital Transformation Gathering
The Builders Festival culminates in live Deal Room sessions at Nigeria’s premier digital conference. Your matched startup will be ready to negotiate.
11-13
AUGUST , 2026
BAT International Conference Centre
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Frequently asked questions
Got some questions? Here are our answers
What exactly is the Builders Festival?
The Builders Festival is a structured market-matching programme under DNICE 2026, run by NITDA. It connects verified institutional challenges from MDAs, corporates, and financial institutions with pre-qualified Nigerian startups that already have products ready to deploy — culminating in live Deal Room negotiations at the conference in Abuja.
Who should submit a challenge?
Any MDA, corporate, NGO, SME, or financial institution that has a real operational or technology problem they are ready to solve. If your organisation is experiencing inefficiencies, data gaps, manual processes, or digital transformation bottlenecks, this is for you.
What kinds of challenges are you looking for?
We are focused on technology-solvable problems across Fintech, HealthTech, EdTech, GovTech, AgriTech, Logistics, and AI/Data. Examples include identity verification, last-mile delivery, real-time data collection, digital payment infrastructure, and process automation.
What if our challenge is too sensitive to share publicly?
Your submission is handled within a fully confidential framework. Only abstracted, anonymised requirements are ever shared with startups during the matching phase. Your organisation’s identity and internal details are never disclosed without your explicit approval.