ONE Innovation Hub in Offa, Kwara State, has successfully concluded its five-day Hackathon program, which commenced on August 28, 2023.
The event, aimed at fostering digital literacy and problem-solving skills among local students, featured active participation from several schools in the area.
Participating schools included Offa Grammar School, St Claire’s Girls School, Nawar-Ud-Deen Grammar School, Ansar-Ud-Deen Grammar School, and Anglican Comprehensive College.
Each school sent five students to engage in the program, creating a collaborative and innovative environment.
In addition to the school-based participants, ONE Innovation Hub also certified forty (40) children through the Kids Koding Klub (KKK) initiative and ten (10) others through a partnership with the Arewa Foundation.
The latter partnership was facilitated by Ms. Halimat Olamide Ibrahim, the 2022 winner of Arewa of Offaland.
The highlight of the event was the students’ presentations on their innovative projects, addressing real-time challenges within their community.
Their projects demonstrated how digital literacy can be applied to tackle these issues effectively.
The students showcased their knowledge in various technology areas, including software development, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and mobile app development.
The participating students formed seven groups, each addressing a different community challenge:
- Offa Community Safety and Crime Prevention: Developing a community-based crime reporting app.
- Offa Local Sustainability Initiatives: Creating a platform promoting sustainable practices within the community.
- Offa Small Business Support Network: Building a digital hub to assist local entrepreneurs.
- Offa Healthcare Access and Information: Developing an app for healthcare information and telemedicine options.
- Offa Food Security and Distribution: Designing a system for efficient food distribution to those in need.
- Offa Digital Skill Empowerment: Building an online platform for enhancing digital literacy skills.
- Offa Community Health and Wellbeing: Designing a wellness app offering fitness challenges, nutrition information, and mental health resources.
The All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) commended ONE Innovation Hub for this impactful initiative.
Mr. Kolawole, the principal of Anglican Comprehensive College, expressed his appreciation for the program’s positive influence on the students, emphasizing the importance of catching them young and nurturing their ICT talents to discourage engagement in social vices.
Representatives from other participating schools also acknowledged the program’s significance in enhancing students’ skills and diverting their energies towards constructive and technology-driven endeavors.
