Lagos State has launched the 2026 Lagos Cleaner Energy Schools Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to engage secondary school students in developing practical ideas around renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste-to-energy solutions.
The programme is being implemented by the Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and is targeted at students in Senior Secondary School 1 and Senior Secondary School 2.
Under the pilot programme, teams of five students are expected to develop concept briefs and prototype schematics addressing clean-energy challenges.
The competition covers four technical areas: solar energy and photovoltaics, energy efficiency and conservation, biogas and waste-to-energy, and wind and hybrid energy systems.
The initiative is open to public secondary schools and technical colleges within Lagos Education Districts I, II and III during the pilot phase.
The programme provides students with an opportunity to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills to real-world energy challenges.
In the solar energy category, participants can develop ideas involving generation, storage and deployment of solar power for homes, schools and communities.
The energy efficiency track focuses on systems capable of reducing energy consumption in buildings, transportation and appliances.
Students interested in waste management can explore biogas and waste-to-energy concepts aimed at converting organic waste into usable energy.
The fourth category covers wind power and hybrid renewable systems that combine two or more clean-energy sources.
According to the programme organisers, proposals will proceed through district-level stages before selected teams advance to a state championship.
A panel involving engineers from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and university academics is expected to assess the projects.
The challenge forms part of wider efforts to expose young Nigerians to clean-energy technologies and develop interest in the growing green economy.
The programme also links education with Lagos’ broader energy challenges, giving students an opportunity to work on concepts relating directly to electricity access, conservation and alternative energy sources.
The ministry had earlier described the initiative as a platform for identifying and nurturing young talent in clean energy and environmental sustainability.
Beyond the competition itself, the organisers describe the programme as a potential pipeline for developing future energy engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs.
The 2026 edition is being implemented as a pilot, with participation from private secondary schools expected to be expanded in a later phase.
Through the challenge, Lagos is placing student innovation within its wider clean-energy agenda while encouraging young people to develop practical responses to energy and environmental challenges.

