Nine other shortlisted companies went home with ₦500,000 consolation prizes each, stated the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Rueben Muoka, in a press release today.
Solaris GreenTech Hub, Knownow Africa Limited and Spex Care Limited came bright at the 2023 NCC’s Annual Hackathon Competition.
The three companies were adjudged as the best by an independent Panel of Judges chaired by the President of Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Professor Mohammed Ajiya.
Solaris, whose team comprises Chiemela Anosike, Ineke Chinecherem and Onoh Chiemela, won ₦10million in the Renewable Energy Solution category of the hackathon.
The company won with its green energy solution that provides clean energy hubs for people in rural communities to be able to charge their phones and other mobile/electronic devices.
Knownow, with a team consisting of Abdulazeez Abiola, Dr. Mudasiru Taiwo and Dr. Oluwaseun Ojerinde, emerged winner of ₦10million in the Blockchain Solution category for its fraud detection and prevention solution.
Spex Care Limited, with team members comprising Isah Dahiru, Ameenat Bala and Musa Gambo, lifted the ₦10million trophy in Assistive Technology Solutions category.
It won with its wearable devices called ‘Smart Bladder’, which can help manage urinary incontinence in elderly people and reduce the cost of their daily spending while ensuring proper personal hygiene.
Professor Ajiya said the Panel was painstaking in assessing all the submissions/entries and diligent in shortlisting the 12 participants and meticulous in determining the three winners.
He said the Panel was able to do this through strict compliance with the requirements stated by the Commission for the exercise.
Earlier in his keynote address at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the event aligns perfectly with one of the core objectives embedded within the new Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) of the Commission for the years 2023-2025.
The NCC SVP 2023-2025, he said, speaks to fostering the development of cutting-edge technologies through rigorous research to catalyse sustainable economic growth and overall development within Nigeria.
Maida, represented by the Director, Research and Development, Ismail Adedigba, noted that this year’s event focuses on three pivotal thematic areas that not only pertain to Nigeria but also resonate with global concerns.
The themes, he said, are: Blockchain-enabled Data Protection Solutions for Enhancing Regulatory Compliance; Assistive Technology Solutions for the Elderly and People with Disabilities; and Technology Solutions for Renewable Energy in Rural Areas
Adedigba said Talent Hunt Research through Hackathon is just the inception of the Commission’s unwavering commitment to nurturing innovation and nascent ideas, the way it has been doing for previous winning innovative solutions and ideas that had emerged through the annual hackathon.
“The culmination of this competition is not confined to the grand prize of N10 million awarded to each winner from these three thematic areas for the development of their solutions.
“It goes beyond this, as the Commission takes a holistic approach to support these promising innovations. We closely monitor the progress of these solutions as they evolve into full-fledged prototypes,” he said.
He added that, in a world where innovation is paramount, NCC often witness the remarkable potential of hackathons to showcase fresh perspectives on existing challenges.
He added that the NCC annual hackathon serve as instrumental tools in sustaining innovation and mobilising the collective intelligence of the innovators to tackle pressing real-world issues, both in the business realm and within our social fabric.
