Innovators Design Crop-Related Diseases Detection Application, Win Cash Award

The Build for Africa AI Hackathon awarded ₦450,000 to Adeniran Owolabi and Esther Ogbonna for their innovative agricultural health (agrihealth) design application that detects crop-related diseases.

This was revealed in a statement issued during the week by their press secretaries, Abdulmalik Lawal and Akinjobi Zulykha.

The winners were recognized for their innovative ideas on using artificial intelligence to create social impact.

The Build for Africa AI Hackathon is a call to action for innovators, thinkers, and problem-solvers worldwide. With a focus on “Exploring Artificial Intelligence for Social Impact,” the challenge invites participants to leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to address some of Africa’s most pressing issues.

The overall winner, Team Agrihealth, led by Adeniran Owolabi and Esther Ogbonna, clinched the top prize for their design, “Agrihealth,” a cutting-edge predictive analytics system that safeguards the health of livestock and crops. Adeniran explained that he was able to develop a compelling hackathon design despite his busy schedule. He believes the hackathon will lead to more practical solutions and social impact projects.

“I greatly appreciate the effort, seeing as it originated from Nigeria and the partnership with a Nigerian higher institution shows it is Africa-oriented. I am currently writing my exams and almost didn’t submit, but I was able to persevere and manage my time effectively to study for exams and also deliver for the hackathon. It’s a big impact because I have learned I should never give up and that I am capable of creating solutions. I will work towards building more solutions and reaching out to people for their practical use,” he noted.

According to other organizers, Abdul-Hakeem Omotaye and Mahmud Adeye, Build for Africa will focus on promoting and financing innovation for more Africans and also strive to improve sustainable living through social impact projects. “We look forward to ways to work with other organizations that are also interested in solving social impact projects. Through this, I believe we’ll make a more notable and substantial impact,” they said.

Agronigeria/Oyenike Oyeniyi