Selected teams go through a national hackathon in December 2026, a 12-week accelerator in the first quarter of 2027, and a Demo Day in early Q2 2027. Funding is not automatic. Demo Day puts you in front of investors and buyers. It does not hand you a cheque.
Deadline: 13 November 2026 · Support: nbeap@nimasa.gov.ng · +234 1 270 0071
What the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme 2026 actually is
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency unveiled NIMASA-BEAP on 16 September 2026, with the National Innovation Hackathon sitting inside the same pipeline.
Director-General Dr Dayo Mobereola put the problem in plain numbers. Nigeria captures less than three percent of the value moving through its own waters. The programme is NIMASA’s attempt to pull young founders into that gap, not another awareness seminar.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, represented at the launch by Shettima Hussein Shehu, framed it as a shift: NIMASA as catalyst, not only regulator. Banks and shipping groups at the unveiling — including First Bank, Zenith Bank, Fidelity Bank, Wema Bank, the Shipowners Association of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping — signalled interest in mentoring and partnership. Treat those as launch pledges, not confirmed grant awards.
The portal describes five stages:
- Discover: nationwide call, no fee.
- Develop: 3-day National Innovation Hackathon.
- Connect: 12-week accelerator with mentors and corporate partners.
- Scale: Demo Day in front of investors, buyers, and procurement channels.
- Sustain: alumni support after the programme ends.
If you are also scanning other federal and private startup windows, keep this tab open and check [INTERNAL LINK: Nigerian startup grants 2026].
Who can apply: eligibility that will get you screened in or out
The portal checklist is short. Miss one line and the form will fight you.
- Nigerian-registered startup, or registration still in progress
- Works in the blue economy or maritime sector
- At least one Nigerian founder or co-founder
- Team of at least two people
- Stage: idea, MVP, early revenue, or growth
- Willing to stay through the full programme
The official NIMASA announcement is stricter on age. It says the call is for young innovators aged 18 to 28. The public checklist on the portal does not repeat that cap, but step 2 of the form asks for the lead founder’s age.
Do not guess. If you are outside 18–28, confirm on the portal before you spend a night on a pitch deck. A team can include older advisers. The published age rule attaches to the innovators NIMASA invited.
You do not need a finished shipyard or a computer-science degree. The portal’s own FAQ asks whether participants must be maritime or technology experts. Domain knowledge helps. A clear problem and a workable fix matter more.
Solo founders are out. Minimum team size is two. A co-founder on paper who cannot attend the hackathon is a weak file. NIMASA wants people who will show up from December through Demo Day.
Blue economy subsectors you can build in
The portal lists eight subsectors and 13 hackathon tracks, aimed at teams from 36 states and the FCT, not only Lagos.
- Shipping and logistics
- Fishing and aquaculture
- Offshore energy
- Marine tourism
- Port operations
- Shipbuilding and repair
- Marine biotechnology
- Coastal and environment
Pick one primary subsector and one secondary. A port-queue app that also cuts fuel burn belongs in port operations first, coastal environment second. Vague “we will digitise the ocean” pitches are easy to drop.
Strong problem statements name the user. A terminal operator. A small fishing cooperative in Bayelsa. A cadet who cannot find sea-time. A coastal community losing shoreline. If you cannot name who pays or who hurts, the 300-word problem box will expose it.
NIMASA-BEAP 2026 dates
These dates come from NIMASA’s 17 September 2026 release and the programme timeline on the portal. Screenshot the page the day you submit. Public calendars move.
| Phase | What happens | When |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Programme unveiled | 16 September 2026 |
| Call for innovators | Portal open, free applications | 5 October – 13 November 2026 |
| Evaluation | Independent review and due diligence | 16 November – 2 December 2026 |
| Hackathon | National Innovation Hackathon | 8–10 December 2026 |
| Accelerator | 12-week programme | Q1 2027 |
| Demo Day | Investor and partner showcase | Early Q2 2027 |
Thirteen November is the application deadline that matters. After that, the form closes. Evaluation is not a second chance to upload documents.
ALSO READ: How To Write a Winning CV
How to apply for the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme 2026
The portal breaks entry into three moves. The form behind them has eight steps. Budget about 25 minutes if your documents are ready. Longer if you are still writing the deck.
1. Create an account
Open nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng. Click Apply Now. Register with an email you actually check. Use a founder address, not a classmate’s. Confirmation and later notices will land there.
2. Complete the 8-step form
You can save and return before the deadline. Do not leave submission to the last afternoon of 13 November. Portals stall when everyone rushes.
- Startup profile. Registered company or individual. Name, founding date, state, CAC number if you have one, website, social links.
- Founders and team. Lead founder name, role, gender, age. Up to four co-founders with LinkedIn. Total team size.
- Subsector. Primary and secondary area. Stage: new idea, MVP, early revenue, or growth.
- Business description. Problem and solution, max 300 words. Product, target market, customer count, revenue range.
- Innovation and impact. What is different, max 300 words. Environmental or social effect. SDG link.
- Funding and financials. Any prior money, source and amount. How you would use NIMASA-BEAP support, max 200 words. How you heard about the call.
- Uploads. Pitch deck and founder ID. CAC certificate if you have it.
- Review and submit. Check every answer. Accept the declaration and NDPR consent. Submit. Wait for the confirmation.
3. Upload documents and submit
Wrong file type is the fastest way to lose an evening.
- Pitch deck: PDF only, max 10 MB
- Founder ID: PDF, JPG, or PNG, max 3 MB
- CAC certificate: optional, PDF, max 5 MB
National ID, voter’s card, or international passport are the usual safe choices for founder ID. Use a clear scan. A blurry phone photo of a laminated card often fails a manual check later.
Need a tighter one-page story before you build slides? [ALSO READ: How to write a CV] — same rule applies: proof before adjectives.ppp
ALSO APPLY: Other Federal Government Fully Funded Programmes
Documents and answers to prepare before you open the form
Write these offline first. The character limits are real.
- One-sentence problem a stranger can repeat
- Who has the problem, and how you know
- What you have built: idea, prototype, paying users, or revenue
- Customer count and revenue band, even if both are zero
- Why this team, not a slide of job titles
- What you want from 12 weeks: customers, a pilot, a technical mentor, a licence path
- Pitch deck, 8–12 slides, under 10 MB
- Founder ID file under 3 MB
Zero revenue is allowed. The form has an idea stage. Pretending you have 50 paying terminals when you have a Figma file is how due diligence ends an application between 16 November and 2 December.
What a competitive pitch deck should contain
NIMASA has not published a slide template. The form fields tell you what reviewers can see. Match the deck to those fields.
- Problem in one Nigerian setting, with a named user
- Solution and what exists today
- Subsector and why this wedge, not the whole blue economy
- Market: who pays first
- Traction: users, letters of interest, pilots, revenue, or a clear “pre-revenue” label
- Team of at least two, roles, and time available for the hackathon
- Impact: jobs, safety, pollution, import substitution, or port delay
- Ask: what Demo Day should make possible
Skip stock photos of cruise ships. A photo of the jetty, market, or terminal you are fixing is harder to fake and easier to remember.
What you get — and what NIMASA does not promise
Selected startups are offered mentorship, capacity-building, funding opportunities, and a room with investors and industry leads. The portal is explicit that winners are placed in front of capital. It does not say winners are funded.
Read that twice before you tell a co-founder the grant is “in the bag.”
- Application is free. Anyone asking you to pay a “processing fee” is not NIMASA.
- The published FAQ asks whether NIMASA takes equity. Do not assume a term sheet until the portal states one. Read the declaration before you tick it.
- Intellectual property created at the hackathon is also an open FAQ item. Keep your own record of what you arrived with.
- A Lagos address is not required. The programme says it targets 36 states plus the FCT.
Mistakes that get strong ideas dropped
- Applying as one person
- No maritime or coastal use case
- Pitch deck over 10 MB, or saved as PowerPoint instead of PDF
- Problem statement that names a technology and never a customer
- Copied market sizes with no local buyer
- CAC number that does not match the company name on the deck
- Submitting on 13 November with an unfinished step 8
Due diligence runs for just over two weeks. Inconsistent names, dead phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles that do not match the form are easy cuts.
After you click submit
Save the confirmation. Evaluation and due diligence run from 16 November to 2 December 2026. Shortlisted teams should expect contact on the email used at registration.
The hackathon is 8–10 December 2026. Block those dates now. The 12-week accelerator follows in Q1 2027. Demo Day is early Q2 2027.
If you are not shortlisted, the file is not a waste. The same deck works for private maritime pilots and other founder calls.
Quick answers before you open the portal
Official page: NIMASA unveiling notice. Application portal: nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng. If the two ever conflict, trust the portal on form fields and NIMASA’s signed notice on dates.
ALSO APPLY: other FG opportunities closing this quarter
FAQ
Who is eligible for the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme 2026?
A Nigerian startup, registered or in progress, working in the maritime or blue economy, with at least one Nigerian founder, a team of two or more, and a product at idea, MVP, early revenue, or growth stage. NIMASA’s announcement also limits the call to innovators aged 18 to 28. Confirm age on the live form.
When does the NIMASA-BEAP application close?
13 November 2026. The portal opened on 5 October 2026. Review runs from 16 November to 2 December 2026.
Is there a fee to apply?
No. NIMASA-BEAP applications are free. Pay nothing to an agent, WhatsApp admin, or “portal assistant.”
Does selection guarantee funding?
No. The programme offers mentorship, capacity-building, and investor access, then a Demo Day. A pitch slot is not a grant letter.
What documents do I upload?
A PDF pitch deck of 10 MB or less, and a founder ID as PDF, JPG, or PNG of 3 MB or less. A CAC certificate is optional, PDF, 5 MB or less.
Do I need to live in Lagos or be a maritime expert?
No. The call targets teams across Nigeria. Expert status is not listed as a requirement. You do need a real problem in one of the eight subsectors and a second person on the team.
Apply before 13 November
The NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme 2026 rewards a clear user, a two-person team, and a deck that matches the form. It does not reward a long essay about the ocean.
Create the account, finish the eight steps, and submit on nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng before 13 November 2026. Then put 8–10 December in the calendar.