MICOTECH Backs Benue Teams in USPF Challenge: Up to ₦5M

Nigerian innovators, including those in Benue State, can win up to ₦5 million in the USPF Changemaker Challenge 2026. Applications close on Sunday 15 November at 11:59 p.m. WAT, which gives you six days from today.

The challenge is run by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), with Ubulu Africa as implementing partner. The USPF sits under the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. The total cash pool is ₦10 million, shared among the top three teams: ₦5 million, ₦3 million and ₦2 million. It is open to teams of two to five people from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with a solution built around one of five sectors. Business registration is not required, and every team keeps full ownership of its intellectual property.

Benue innovators have local help. MICOTECH ICT Solutions and Services has announced that it is a State Ecosystem Partner for the challenge, working with the USPF and Ubulu Africa to mobilise innovators in Benue State. It says it will offer application guidance and mentorship. Its call is aimed at 3MTT fellows, students, entrepreneurs, developers and other innovators with a promising project. MICOTECH’s message to the state is to showcase creativity, build solutions that matter and put Benue on the national innovation map. The partnership does not change the rules or the prizes. Every team still applies through the official portal and competes nationally, and the announcement does not say whether the challenge has partners in other states.

The five sectors each have one problem statement. You must respond to the statement for the sector you choose.

Here is who can apply.

The path has five steps. Applications run from 2 to 15 November through the InnoX platform. After the close, entries are checked against the rules and scored with an approved selection framework. Then come six virtual Regional Demo Days. Up to 37 teams from the states and the FCT take part, plus 13 places for the highest-scoring remaining teams nationally. That makes up to 50 teams. Next is the National Demo Day, held in person in Abuja, where one team from each geopolitical zone presents to a judging panel. That makes six finalists. The top three win cash. All six finalists get four weeks of structured incubation and venture support.

The ₦10 million is the total pool, not a sum any one team can win. The most a single team can take home is ₦5 million. The call also lists benefits beyond cash: incubation, national visibility and a chance to meet other innovators and industry players.

To apply, go to the official portal at uspfchangemaker.ng, create a team account on InnoX, and describe your solution. Explain the problem, who it affects, how your tool works and who is on your team. Upload your supporting documents and submit before the deadline. An optional information session is planned, but its dates have not been set. The call does not publish the scoring criteria, so read the portal’s FAQs closely.

Benue innovators have local help. MICOTECH ICT Solutions and Services says it is a State Ecosystem Partner for the challenge, working with the USPF and Ubulu Africa to mobilise innovators in Benue State. It invites 3MTT fellows, students, entrepreneurs, developers and other innovators with promising projects to apply. The company says it will offer application guidance and mentorship. The announcement does not say how many states have such partners, or if the help is free.

This is not the USPF’s first challenge, and the prizes have grown. The 2018 edition, held in January 2019, was a 48-hour hackathon in Abuja. It drew more than 500 applications, with ₦1 million for first place. The 2023 edition ran in Sokoto and Lagos with ₦2.5 million for first place, and sent each region’s top three into incubation. This year’s top prize of ₦5 million is five times the 2018 figure and twice the 2023 figure, and the contest is open nationwide.

With 50 places at the regional stage and six in the final, you need to be sharp. Pick the sector closest to work you already do, and read its problem statement twice. Show a working prototype or a clear demo, even a simple one, since the call asks for a prototype, MVP or working system. Say who your users are and where they live. Think about places with weak infrastructure, because the challenge is about unserved and underserved communities. Keep your team balanced, with at least one person who builds and one who can speak about the problem. If you are in Benue, ask MICOTECH about its application guidance and mentorship early, since the deadline is close.

Why it matters: A government-backed fund is putting cash behind early-stage ICT ideas, and that is a useful signal. The challenge rewards tools that work where signal is weak, money is tight and users may be new to digital services. A win brings more than prize money. It brings a national platform, four weeks of support and credibility that can help you raise further funds. The fact that you keep all your intellectual property also means a team can use the challenge without giving anything up. State-level partners such as MICOTECH show how the call can reach beyond the big cities. Local guidance can help first-time applicants turn a rough idea into a clear entry.

What to watch next: the dates of the information sessions and the Regional Demo Days. Watch whether the organisers publish the scoring criteria. Watch which sectors draw the most entries, and which states are picked. Watch who the six finalists are, and what they build in four weeks of incubation. And watch whether the USPF keeps running the challenge each year as the prize pool grows.

Sources: USPF Changemaker Challenge 2026 call for applications and portal text; MICOTECH ICT Solutions and Services, State Ecosystem Partner announcement for Benue State; MICOTECH ICT Solutions and Services announcement on its Benue State role; TechBuild Africa on the 2018 USPF Changemaker hackathon; USPF Media Centre on the 2023 edition.

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