A multi-disciplinary team of Nigerian students in the United States of America (USA) led by Kamdi Lee Okeke has won the star prize in the Baiada Institute Innovation Tournament/Competition.
Organised by School of Entrepreneurship of Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA for the Spring of 2024, the Innovation Tournament was an all-day hackathon-style competition with idea pitching, team building, business model development and networking.
The students were said to have been given the opportunity to flex their creative problem-solving abilities, apply practical entrepreneurship skills and engage in hands-on experience in developing and pitching ideas.
At the end, a USD5000 prize was awarded to the winning entry in the tournament, which is eligible for a year of incubation services at Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship of Drexel University.
Focus of the tournament, according to the organisers, was on developing new ideas hence entries were limited to early-stage ideas with minimal prior development.
Also, there were two tournament “tracks” which included original idea track where students with new ideas competed in a track to develop and pitch their own concepts.
At the end, the “Aboki Learn” team led by Kamdi, a Biomedical Engineering student in Drexel University, Philadelphia’s “Wazobia Code” entry emerged the winning entry.
The six-man winning team, all Nigerian students in the United States is made up of Tony Kabilan Okeke, Ebubechukwu Enwerem, Uzochukwu Uzo-Ojinnaka, Olaoluwakiitan Fawole, Dalu Okonkwo and Michael Moemeke
In addition to grabbing the star prize of $5000, the team’s entry won the eligibility for a year of incubation services at Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship.
Speaking on the award, Okeke said, “Our project, “Wazobia Code,” is a pioneering non-profit initiative dedicated to unlocking the potential of youths in sub-Saharan Africa through technology.”
“Growing up in Nigeria, it’s very clear that we are still struggling in the early stages of our technological evolution. However, with the progress being made in the global tech sphere comes the urgency to hasten our rate of development. It’s our belief that by equipping young people in sub-Saharan Africa with programming skills, we can begin to bridge the gap between our current state and the technological advancements seen in other parts of the world,” he stressed.
“We are excited to announce that, this summer, we rolled out the non-profit operations of “Wazobia Code,” a project for sub-Sahara Africa, reaching out to young people and other interested individuals to enrol for the program, a summer coding camp which is strictly online. All you need is your phone (android/ions) or computer with data to stay online. Classes are Web based and hosted via telegram. It is free, interactive, and you will be guided as you move on.
“Our website is live, people indicate interest by entering their contact details at wazobiacode.com. Our mission is to transform middle and high school students, with little to no programming experience, into skilled programmers, starting off with web development. Leveraging the accessibility of Telegram, we offer a comprehensive coding bootcamp. Our innovative approach utilizes telegram channels and bots for course management, fostering a supportive community and enabling real-time assistance.”
On the importance of the project, Okeke said: “The programme enables students not only to master different skills in programming that are of tangible importance, demonstrating their readiness to tackle real-world challenges, but Coding is the building block of the digital world, and proficiency in Coding gives one an edge in today’s fast moving high-tech world. Wazobia Code is more than just a coding boot camp; it’s a movement to empower the next generation of tech leaders in sub-Saharan Africa.”
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