News
9mobile Rewards CodeLagos Hackathon Winners
In furtherance of its commitment to leveraging technology to bolster knowledge and skill acquisition amongst Nigerians, 9mobile, the innovative telecommunications company, has rewarded winners of the first CodeLagos Hackathon, an initiative of the Lagos State Government aimed at encouraging Lagos residents to innovate with tech-driven ideas and solutions that solve local problems.
As a CodeLagos partner, 9mobile supported the initiative by awarding high-end devices to winners in the junior category of the CodeLagos Hackathon, a competition designed to source best tech-driven ideas and solutions from among Lagos residents with the theme, ‘Towards a Smarter Lagos.’
The junior category comprised students at the secondary school level between the ages of 14 and 17 years, while the other category for the competition – senior category, comprised interested members of the public and participants of the CodeLagos Out-of-School programme between the ages of 18 and 30 years.
The winners were presented with fantastic prizes including tablets and smart phones at the CodeLagos Hackathon (Demo Day) event held on Thursday, November 1, in Lagos.
In the junior category, Badagry Senior Grammar School came first to emerge the category winner; Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja was the first runner-up while Childville Senior Secondary School emerged the second runner-up. For the senior category, Sharkbytes was the first prize winner; CodeDivas was the first runner-up while Secured Wellness Challenged (SWC) emerged the second runner-up.
Commenting on the initiative, Ag. Director, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the telco was proud to partner with Lagos State Government on this initiative, and appreciative of the opportunity to empower more Nigerians by upscaling their skill-sets and providing them the leverage to be able to take up the jobs of the future which technology is enabling.
“9mobile is passionate about enabling a prosperous future for Nigeria and the youth segment is the main anchor of that future; technology is the driver. Our commitment to promoting initiatives that empower and enable the youth to fulfil that role is dear to us.
Therefore, we have supported CodeLagos project since inception two years ago, because it aligned with our vision that the future is a society where anybody, every child in every school, regardless of socio-economic status is given access to the knowledge and skills to compete in a technology-driven world”, she stated.
The qualification rounds for CodeLagos Hackathon commenced on October 2, 2018 and ended on the Demo Day with contestants using their tech skills to provide solutions in the critical areas of health, transport, environment, energy, education, fintech and environment.
Apart from the competition, the CodeLagos Hackathon also celebrated milestones and showcased a lot of talents as well as inspirational stories of people who had no previous knowledge of coding but are now professionals in the field.
As part of its commitment to the CodeLagos initiative, 9mobile last year set up coding centres and ICT laboratory at its adopted schools in Lagos, namely Rabiatu Thompson Primary School, Surulere; and Akande Dahunsi Memorial High School, Ikoyi.
The CodeLagos initiative of the Lagos State Government seeks to teach at least one million Lagos residents to code by 2020.
News
Legit.ng, Shade of Life Foundation Partner to Advance Autism Awareness in Nigeria
Legit.ng recently joined forces with the Shade of Life Foundation to become a voice of autism, and drive advocacy for improved media support during Autism Awareness Month.
Conversations around media support exploration was led by Joseph Omotayo, head of Department for Human Interest Stories at Legit.ng, and Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, founder and CEO of the Shade of Life Foundation,
This partnership is a response to the concerns raised by organizations like the Shade of Life Foundation about the level of support received from the media in discussing autism as a disability.
While other disabilities may receive attention, autism, with its critical developmental implications often lacks adequate representation in mainstream media.
Recognizing the importance of addressing these concerns, Legit.ng took proactive steps by integrating itself into the essence of autism awareness.
It facilitated a one-hour workshop with Dr. Nwokolo, the founder of the foundation, to deepen our understanding of autism, its various spectrums, and the language boundaries associated with it.
Other steps we took in advocating autism awareness in the media, can be seen in our attached press release.
Legit.ng believes that by amplifying the voices of autism and advocating for better media representation, we can contribute to creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all.
News
As Nigeria Struggle, Tanzania Turns off Power Plants Due to Excess Supply
While 85 per cent of Nigeria is in darkness, Tanzania, an African country has shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister, Tanzania, has said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.
It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.
“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now,” an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.
The 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam is said to be almost filled with water following heavy rains that started early this year.
Meanwhile, while the country has an installed capacity of 1,938MW and the grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, Nigeria which has an installed capacity of 13,000MW is struggling to electrify 85 per cent of its electricity consumers.
News
President Tinubu Appoints Jim Ovia as Student Loan Fund Chairman
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Jim Ovia, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Ovia’s appointment is contained in a State House statement titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as Chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund,’ and issued on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the President, Media & Publicity.
The statement noted that “Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
“He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.”
The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.
“The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds,” the statement partly read.
Ovia’s appointment will also ensure “that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.”
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