Nigeria’s representatives at the global innovation challenge; Hult prize, have emerged from the Yaba College of Technology and now advance to the 8th annual regional finals of the competition. The team will compete at the regional finals in March 2018, being hosted in 15 cities around the world, with Yaba College of Technology competing in San Francisco.
The Hult prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurship, which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe, to solve the world’s most pressing issues. The annual initiative is described by its organizers, as the world’s largest student competition and crowd-sourcing platform for social-good, and has been funded by the Hult family since its inception in 2009.
The innovative crowd sourcing platform identifies and launches disruptive and catalytic social ventures that aim to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges. This year, the Hult prize is focused around finding solutions for millions of people around the world affected by “harnessing the power of energy to improve 10 million lives challenge”.
The winning team from Yaba College of Technology includes; Akpan Ekom, Ubietu Patience, Abbah Patience and Bello Adeola. Their solution to this year’s challenge of harnessing the power of energy to improve 10 million lives is premised on conversion of human faeces to meet energy needs and improve lives.
“Within a month, under a very uncommon condition we have been able to develop the interest of over 200 students not just in becoming entrepreneurs, but social entrepreneurs, and you can imagine if well supported and invested in, how much good this would do for our national economy,” said Abdulmu’min Edidi, campus director for the contest in Nigeria.
Ahmad Ashkar CEO and Founder of Hult Prize attributes the success of the competition to the global youth revolution. He said, “We continue to be moved by the large number of students from around the world, who are capitalizing on the opportunity to develop business models that target those who are in most need. We wish every team the best of luck and thank Yaba College of Technology for supporting this initiative”.
Following the regional contests, one winning team from each host city will advance to an intensive 8-week summer business incubator, where they would receive mentorship, advisory and strategic planning as they create prototypes and set up to launch their new social business. The final round of the competition would take place in September, 2018 where a jury panel will select the annual Hult Prize winner, and present USD 1 million to the winning team.
As Bill Clinton, a former US President describes it, “The Hult Prize is a wonderful example of the creative cooperation needed to build with shared opportunity, shared responsibility, and shared prosperity, and each year I look forward to seeing the many outstanding ideas the competition produces”.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, in an address prepared for the campus final in Lagos, expressed delight at the efforts to devise innovative ways to solve the country’s nagging power challenge.
“The benefits of harnessing the power of energy are innumerable, and can transform lives in numerous ways. I am excited to see what ideas you have come up with, and I hope that you will go beyond your school community here, to do well with it at the international stage of the Hult Prize.
“You may not realize the significance of what you are doing currently, but even if you do, allow me to reinforce it. By taking on challenges like this, and exercising your creativity and knowledge to develop solutions, you are already taking responsibility for your future and the future of our country, Nigeria. You are already showing yourselves worthy to lead our growth and development,” Fashola said.
CALEB OJEWALE
