A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) focused on child rights and protection, The Destiny Trust, has rewarded Nigerian secondary school students for developing technology-driven solutions to some of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges, including access to education, school security, food insecurity and climate change.

The young innovators were rewarded at the Kids Innovation Challenge, organised by the Destiny Trust through its Kids Innovation Africa initiative, which seeks to equip Nigerian and African children with the skills to become creators and problem-solvers in the digital age.

The competition attracted over 160 applications from across the country, with 10 finalists eventually selected to present their innovations before a panel of judges.

The winning team, comprising Adam Abubakri, Owede Divine and Taofeeq Thaoba, received N2 million for developing Smarteach, a solar-powered educational robot that functions as an intelligent offline teaching assistant, delivering interactive lessons and other educational content and providing learning support to students, particularly those who may have limited access to conventional teaching resources.

The first runner-up team, comprising Fanika Faith, Giwa Olaosebikan and Olaoye Rhoda of Lagos State Model College, received N1,500,000 for developing Smartfarm, a robust and sustainable integrated farming system, combining automated irrigation, soil-moisture detection, surveillance, produce preservation, pest control, fire detection and embedded sensor technologies to improve food production and protect farm produce.

The second runner-up team, comprising Malik Oye, Zacson Favour, Bethel and Chizaram, received N1million for their affordable AI-powered smart-glasses system designed to assist blind and severely visually impaired students. They all received a 3D printer with filaments.

Speaking at the event, the co-founder of Destiny Trust, Abimbola Ojenike, called for greater investment in technology skills for children, particularly those in underserved communities.