The three winners of an artificial intelligence hackathon organised by Data Science Nigeria (DSN) in partnership with NNPC/CNL JV have been awarded a cash prize of N3 million to enable them to build solutions that reduce carbon emission in the energy sector in Nigeria.
The winner of the grand prize of N1,500,000 was TEAM Premier; the runner-up (2nd Position), Team Chemotronix, got N1,000,000 and the second runner-up (3rd Position) was Team Titans, winning N500,000 in the process.
The AI for Energy Hackathon was sponsored by NNPC/CNL JV (CNL) for participants to develop Artificial Intelligence solutions for carbon reduction in the energy sector, with three teams emerging as the top winners.
“What you have set in motion today has the capacity to change our country Nigeria and positively impact our dire capital development effort,” said Uyi Stewart, Chairman, Data Science Nigeria, and Chief Data Scientist, Seagen, USA.
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According to DSN, 609 applications were received from over 100 institutions. After a detailed process of selection, 184 participants were selected into 40 separate teams.
A total number of 25 solution documentation was received with different outcomes ranging from Hardware, Software, Academic papers/Posters, Analytical models, and Proof of Concept. From the documentation submitted, seven top finalists were selected to pitch their solution.
“Chevron Nigeria Limited has shown commitment in quality education through investment in education, infrastructure, sponsorship, and empowerment development programme because education remains a veritable tool for personal and societal growth and sustainable development.” He challenged the participants to focus on evolving real-life solutions that solve real-world problems and advance the field of artificial intelligence in Nigeria rather than winning,” Bobby Hulett, Deepwater and PSCs Director and Digital Sponsor, Chevron Nigeria Limited, said.
The hackathon was conceived with the idea to enhance the quality of the machine learning skill set available in the country while deepening local content agenda, and to drive real-world application that solves specific business problems whilst finding an intersection between theory and practice. It is part of DSN’s quest to raise 1 million Artificial Intelligence (AI) talents in 10 years and position Nigeria as a leading AI Hub in the world.
Cosmos Iwueze, Director Business Services Department, Chevron Nigeria Limited, while commending Data Science Nigeria said the broader objective of increasing employability of young Nigerians through hands-on exposure to data science in a real-world capacity.
“The skills are not just there to progress your efforts to full-blown solutions, but pre-requisite for success in life. Therefore, consider the speed involved in developing your solutions. I am very pleased because what you have developed shows Nigeria is better in your hands. As you worked as a team during the process, embrace collaborative spirit; that is the only way you can make it happen,” he said.
