The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is calling for innovators to join the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP) 2026, Nigeria’s first national accelerator for maritime and ocean-economy startups. Selected teams compete in a National Innovation Hackathon (8–10 December 2026), then move into a 12-week accelerator and a Demo Day with investors in 2027.
Deadline: Friday, 13 November 2026. Applying is free, and you don’t need CAC registration or to be based in Lagos.
Key Details
- Organiser: NIMASA (technical partner: Opolo Global Innovation Limited)
- For: Nigerian startups, teams and innovators in the maritime and blue economy
- Stages accepted: idea, MVP, early revenue or growth
- Team size: at least 2 members
- Cost: free
- Application deadline: 13 November 2026
- National Innovation Hackathon: 8–10 December 2026
Programme Timeline
- Call for innovators: 5 October – 13 November 2026
- Evaluation and due diligence: 16 November – 2 December 2026
- National Innovation Hackathon (3 days): 8–10 December 2026
- 12-week accelerator: first quarter of 2027
- Demo Day with investors: early second quarter of 2027
Benefits
- a place in a national innovation pipeline from idea to investment-ready venture in about six months
- industry mentors and technical resources at the hackathon
- a 12-week accelerator with sector mentors, corporate partners and venture-development training
- a Demo Day in front of investors, corporate buyers and government procurement channels
- alumni support and ongoing ecosystem partnerships
Note: NIMASA-BEAP is an accelerator, not a cash grant. The portal mentions “funding opportunities” and investor access, but no fixed prize money has been announced.
The 13 Innovation Tracks
- Maritime technology and logistics
- Maritime safety, surveillance and security
- Green shipping and vessel decarbonisation
- Seafarer welfare
- Port digitisation
- Marine waste management and the blue circular economy
- Aquaculture and sustainable fisheries
- Coastal and artisanal fishing value chain
- Ocean data and analytics
- Nature-based coastal defence
- Marine tourism and coastal recreation
- Marine biotechnology
- Deep seabed mining technologies and research
Eligibility
- a Nigerian-registered startup, or one in the process of registering (individuals can apply; CAC registration is optional at this stage)
- working in the blue economy or maritime sector
- at least one Nigerian founder or co-founder
- a team of at least two members
- at the idea, MVP, early-revenue or growth stage
- willing to take part in the full programme
Entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, researchers, students and artisans can all apply. You don’t need to be a maritime expert.
How to Apply
- Go to the official NIMASA-BEAP portal and click Apply Now to create a free account with your email.
- Complete the 8-step application form (about 25 minutes; you can save your progress and return).
- Review your answers, accept the declarations and submit before 13 November 2026. See the official user guide for help.
What the form asks for:
- startup profile: individual or registered company, name, founding date, state, CAC number if any
- founders and team: lead founder plus up to 4 co-founders with LinkedIn profiles
- subsector and stage, then your problem and solution (max 300 words), product and market
- innovation and impact (max 300 words), plus funding history and how you’ll use the support (max 200 words)
- uploads: pitch deck (PDF, max 10 MB), founder ID (PDF/JPG/PNG, max 3 MB), CAC certificate (optional)
Tips
- Prepare your pitch deck first; it’s the most important upload.
- Pick the single track that fits best and use its language in your problem statement.
- Show the size of the problem in Nigerian waters, ports or coastal communities, with numbers if possible.
- Add a teammate now if you’re applying alone; you need at least two members.
- Don’t wait for the last day: portals often slow down near deadlines.
