The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reinforced its commitment to digital inclusion with a N6 million grant awarded to three startups developing innovative digital solutions to improve accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The start-ups were rewarded at the grand finale of the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Drinu Maida, said innovation and technology would play a critical role in Nigeria’s economic future, stressing that achieving Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy would require ensuring that no sector or group of citizens is digitally excluded.
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Maida, who spoke through the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, Rimini Makama, said, “Nigeria today stands at a pivotal crossroads to build a resilient and diversified digital economy; we must recognise that true national progress is impossible if some of our citizens remain locked out.
“This hackathon is our strategic response: a platform where innovation is harnessed to ensure that no one is left behind in our nation’s digital transformation journey. Often, several interconnected barriers continue to shape the digital experiences of persons with disabilities (PWDs),” Maida said.
The NCC Chief cited World Bank estimates showing that about 25 million Nigerians live with at least one form of disability, noting that barriers to technology access often translate into exclusion from education, employment, healthcare and financial services.
He said the hackathon was created to encourage local innovators to develop practical solutions that remove such barriers and ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.
Also speaking, Chinyelu Chikwendu, Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, commended the NCC for supporting innovation beyond its regulatory responsibilities.
She described the focus on persons with disabilities as commendable and reaffirmed MTN’s commitment to supporting startups and innovators working towards a more inclusive digital ecosystem.
In her remarks, the Director of the Digital Economy Department at the NCC, Hellen Obi, commended the commission for organising the hackathon. She also pledged to follow up with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and MTN Nigeria, which had expressed their willingness to collaborate with the commission in nurturing the young innovators and harnessing the potential of their solutions.
At the end of the competition, Sora emerged as the winner and received N3 million, while Clear Signal placed second with N2 million, with Ikor finishing third with a N1 million award.
Sora developed an inclusive job-matching and adaptive skills platform designed specifically for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
The platform seeks to connect qualified persons with disabilities with government agencies and inclusive employers, while also providing learning opportunities adapted to different forms of disability.
Its founder, AbdulRazq Motolani Somoye, said the idea was partly inspired by the Federal Government’s policy requiring government organisations to allocate at least five per cent of their workforce to persons with disabilities.
He said many conventional recruitment platforms were not sufficiently inclusive, prompting the development of Sora as a dedicated platform for persons with disabilities.
Somoye added that the team had engaged the Joint National Associations of Persons with Disabilities and was working towards a partnership to verify persons with disabilities in Abuja and subsequently across Nigeria.
