By George Ozalla
Young Nigerian innovators have demonstrated their ability to develop practical solutions to some of the country’s pressing challenges, with technology solutions designed to improve digital access for persons with disabilities emerging as major highlights of the fourth Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Hackathon Live Show 2026.
SORA emerged winner of the two day competition, taking home the N3 million grand prize, while Clear Signal and IKOR placed second and third respectively, winning N2 million and N1 million.
The Hackathon, held under the theme, “Technology Without Barriers,” brought together 20 teams comprising software developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, innovators and persons with disabilities to develop solutions aimed at addressing digital accessibility and inclusion.
SORA’s winning project is an inclusive job matching and adaptive skills platform for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria. It is designed to connect users with employment opportunities and skills development resources.
Clear Signal, the second placed team, developed a system that allows blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing electricity consumers to receive power outage alerts through accessible channels, including voice calls, text messages and visual notifications.
IKOR, which finished third, developed an AI powered voice dictation and writing tool intended to assist people who face difficulties with physical typing, expensive hardware and poor internet connectivity.
The three top teams received cash prizes, while other participating teams were presented with consolation prizes and certificates.
Speaking on the initiative, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, said the Commission was using innovation to tackle digital exclusion and create opportunities for persons with disabilities and other underserved communities to participate in the digital economy.
Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the ideas presented by the young innovators demonstrated that Nigerian youths had the capacity to develop solutions to real problems confronting the country.
He identified the high cost of devices, inadequate digital skills, limited access to assistive technologies and poor accessibility features on some digital platforms as some of the factors restricting digital participation.
The NCC boss called on investors, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to support the commercialisation of promising innovations coming out of the Hackathon.
The competition featured projects covering healthcare, education, emergency communications, accessible USSD services, AI powered sign language translation, voice enabled services and assistive technology for visually impaired people.
Director, Digital Economy Department of the NCC, Helen Obi, said the Commission had also developed an indigenous NCC Hackathon Judge Software to automate and standardise the judging process.
Stakeholders at the event commended the NCC for providing young innovators with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate solutions to accessibility challenges.
Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, Chinyelu Chikwendu, praised the Commission for supporting Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and placing attention on technology solutions for persons with disabilities.
Eneh Omawumi, Head of the Gender Desk Unit at the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, also commended the initiative and urged the participants to continue developing their ideas beyond the competition.
Amadi Kenneth of the Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria said some of the innovations had the potential to promote financial inclusion among women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.
He said the CBN was open to collaboration with the NCC and the innovators in exploring how the solutions could be deployed to advance digital and financial inclusion.
The NCC also acknowledged the contributions of its technical partners, mentors, judges and other stakeholders to the success of the Hackathon and expressed its commitment to supporting indigenous technology development and widening access to the digital economy.
