The maiden edition of virtual hackathon tagged ‘Cashless Campus Innovation Challenge’ organised by Financial Services Innovators (FSI), has produced winners.
The hackathon was put together by FSI, a non-profit organisation committed to discovering tech talents in tertiary institutions and enabling start-ups within the technology and financial services space, in conjunction with NIBSS, MFS Africa, Future Africa, and Flourish Ventures.
According to the Executive Director, FSI, Dr Aituaz Kola-Oladejo, the Cashless Campus Innovation Challenge is aimed at proffering solutions to digitize micropayments in tertiary institutions and their environs, including cashless transportation, cashless commerce etc.
Moderated by Derek Nwafor, the hackathon challenge featured 67 teams comprising 130 students drawn from six higher institutions spread across the country. They include Mountain Top University (MTU), Lagos; University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife; Al-Qalam University, Katsina; Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
In her opening remarks, Dr Aituaz Kola-Oladejo said, “Until we harness this minefield of talents, we cannot change the narrative of Africa.”
Presenting his keynote address, Mr Aniedi Udo-Obong, a US-based Nigerian program manager and software developer with Google, counseled the participants that ideating is the next big thing, therefore the students should continue to innovate and not rest on their oars.
At the virtual event, Team Techies defeated 10 other contestants to emerge as the winner, smiling to the bank with N100,000 while Teams Prodigies and Tap & Go emerged as the 1st and 2nd runners-up respectively.
