By Our Correspondent
LAGOS/Nigeria: Thirty-six teams of young innovators, including visually impaired students, have qualified to represent Nigeria at the Codeavour 7.0 International Championship scheduled to hold in Jakarta, Indonesia, in May.
The teams emerged at the grand finale of the Codeavour 7.0 National Championship held at Charterhouse Lagos after a series of competitive regional contests.
The national event followed earlier regional championships hosted at Ecobank Headquarters in Lagos and Cosmopolitan University in Abuja, where talented students showcased innovative technology solutions and earned their places in the national finals.
Among the standout teams was “Beyond Sight,” a group of visually impaired students from Lagos State whose groundbreaking technological innovations drew widespread admiration from judges and participants.
The team designed AI-powered audio glasses aimed at helping visually impaired individuals navigate their surroundings more easily and live independently.
They also developed an AI-powered smart walking stick capable of detecting environmental hazards such as smoke and fire, demonstrating how assistive technologies can significantly enhance safety and mobility for vulnerable individuals.
Speaking during the event, the Codeavour Country Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Beebahtics Enterprise, Mrs Habeebah Ibrahim, commended the participants and described their accomplishments as a clear demonstration of the power of inclusive technology education.
According to her, Beebahtics Enterprise is playing a crucial role in bridging Nigeria’s STEM gap by partnering with leading manufacturers to provide hands-on educational kits that equip Nigerian students with globally competitive digital skills.
She explained that the core mission of the Codeavour initiative in Nigeria is to democratise access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
“Seeing the students qualify for an international stage in Indonesia is a testament to the transformative power of inclusive education,” Ibrahim said.
“Today we have witnessed that innovation has no physical boundaries. Seeing our visually impaired students qualify for the International Championship in Indonesia with their AI-powered solutions is awesome.
“This is a profound reminder that when we provide the right tools and an inclusive environment, every child, regardless of their physical ability, can lead the change in the digital revolution.
“At Beebahtics and through the Codeavour platform, we aren’t just teaching code; we are empowering a generation to see challenges as opportunities for invention.”
She added that the participating students did not merely compete but broke barriers and demonstrated that Nigerian technology innovation has no limits and remains open to everyone.
Also speaking, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, praised the ingenuity displayed by the students, noting that their creativity reflects promising prospects for Nigeria’s future in engineering and software development.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of STEM Childcare Academy, Abuja, Mr Mamu Muhammad, said the strong performance of teams from different regions underscores the growing national interest in technology-driven education.
Muhammad noted that the national finals successfully brought together talented young minds from diverse backgrounds, united by their passion for innovation and creative problem-solving.
Similarly, the Director of Education at Charterhouse Lagos, John Todd, expressed pride in hosting the championship, saying the event highlighted Nigeria’s capacity to nurture globally competitive innovators.
He noted that the atmosphere during the competition was electrifying and emphasised that the Nigerian education system possesses the potential to produce world-class innovators when adequately supported.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition featured three tracks across multiple age categories, with teams presenting projects in coding, artificial intelligence and robotics aimed at addressing real-world challenges.
In Track One, Team Focus Frontier emerged winner in the Elementary category, Intercontinental Team Kano won the Junior category, while Team Biteback clinched the Senior division, with Beyond Sight finishing second.
Track Two winners included Code Crushers in the Elementary category, Trinity Tribe in the Junior division and Team City in the Senior category.
In Track Three, Supercoders won the Elementary category, Focus Frontier secured the Junior division, while Robogha emerged champions in the Senior category.
The successful teams will represent Nigeria at the Codeavour 7.0 International Championship slated for May 16 in Jakarta, where they will showcase locally developed AI-driven innovations on the global stage.
