The Kwara State Government, during the week, said it was putting the last touches to the state’s Coding and Digital Literacy Exhibition coming up next Tuesday.

Ishola Kayode, the Senior Assistant (S.A.) to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Digital Innovation, disclosed this during the week in Ilorin while briefing newsmen on the activities and achievements of his office in the last three months.

He said the much-talked-about fair would showcase innovative student projects that would highlight the success stories positioning Kwara as the single largest implementer of a state-wide digital literacy initiative in Nigeria.

“The Kwara Coding and Digital Literacy Programme, for one, is currently the single largest of its kind by a sub-national or state in Nigeria and is generating commendations across board.

“These investments continue to give Kwara a competitive front in innovation, digital literacy, and technological readiness in Nigeria and beyond.

“These achievements reaffirm the administration of Governor AbdulRazaq’s commitment to human capital development, innovation, and entrepreneurship support for the prosperity of Kwara and Nigeria,” he said.

Reeling out the achievements of his office in the last three months to newsmen in Ilorin, Ishola said innovation had continued to consolidate the vision of Governor AbdulRazaq in building a digitally skilled youth population and positioning Kwara as a national model for innovation-driven human capital development.

“In the 3rd quarter of 2025, several impactful programmes and collaborations were implemented to scale digital literacy, strengthen innovation ecosystems, and deepen strategic partnerships in the state.

“The Kwara Coding and Digital Literacy Programme remained the flagship initiative within this period,” he stated.
According to him, of the targeted 7,500 students in 50 public secondary schools across all the state, “5,603 students were fully onboarded—comprising 2,604 males (46.5 per cent) and 2,999 females (53.5 per cent),” he explained.

He, however, said Kwara South recorded 2,186 participants to make 39 per cent, Kwara Central 2,095 (37.4 per cent), and Kwara North 1,322 (23.6 per cent).

Ishola stressed that Ilorin West LGA emerged as the highest contributor with 829 students, while Ekiti LGA recorded the lowest with 173 students.

“The 2025 Summer Edition of the programme, held from August 5th across 28 centres, engaged 798 students during the third-term holiday.

“Our monthly ‘Train the Trainers’ sessions were also sustained to strengthen teachers’ and instructors’ capacity.”

On this, Ishola recalled that Kwara students participated in the National Kids Innovation Challenge, with nine teams representing the state.

“Nine teams submitted entries, four made it to the pre-demo stages, with two teams—Igbaja AgricTech Mini and Virtual Bot Doctor—reaching the finals.

“On September 20th, the Igbaja AgricTech Mini emerged among the top three winners.

“Their solution, which is the only non-hardware among the top three winners, is a digital tool offering farmers curated market information, weather tips, planting insights, and security updates, underscoring Kwara’s innovation strength and focus on food security,” he explained.

During the period under review, Ishola said: “Beyond the coding programme, the office facilitated several high-level collaborations and engagements that included partnership with W.TEC (Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre) to host the 2025 SHE Creates Camp in August, empowering young girls with advanced tech and innovation skills.

“A strategic partnership meeting with Zinox Technologies Ltd. to explore deeper cooperation on digital infrastructure and innovation was also recorded during the time. Support for the Federal Government’s Project 774, through the provision of internet connectivity in seven participating LGAs in Kwara State.

“Participation in state-level discussions on digitising the workforce and improving access to government services and information, ensuring Kwara keeps pace with national and global trends in digital governance.

“In addition, the Monthly Kwara Digital Pulse series—an online public engagement session held on the last Saturday of every month—continued during the period under review.

“With topical discussions on emerging digital issues, the programme has so far reached over 1,600 cumulative audiences within four months, amplifying awareness on digital trends and government-led innovation initiatives,” he said were also recorded in the 2025 Q3.