The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has strengthened its commitment to digital inclusion by awarding N6 million to three startups developing innovative digital solutions to improve accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The startups received the grants at the grand finale of the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show held in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said innovation and technology would be critical to Nigeria’s economic future, stressing that the country’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy could not be achieved without ensuring that no sector or group of citizens was digitally excluded.
Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the hackathon was designed as a strategic platform for harnessing innovation to address barriers preventing persons with disabilities from fully participating in the digital economy.
“True national progress is impossible if some of our citizens remain locked out,” Maida said, adding that persons with disabilities continued to face interconnected barriers in accessing and using digital technologies.
He cited World Bank estimates that about 25 million Nigerians live with at least one form of disability, noting that limited access to technology could further exclude PWDs from education, employment, healthcare and financial services.
According to him, the hackathon was created to encourage local innovators to develop practical and sustainable solutions capable of removing these barriers and ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Also speaking, Chinyelu Chikwendu, Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, commended the NCC for supporting innovation beyond its regulatory mandate.
Chikwendu described the focus on persons with disabilities as commendable and reaffirmed MTN Nigeria’s commitment to supporting startups and innovators working towards a more inclusive digital ecosystem.
The Director of the Digital Economy Department at the NCC, Hellen Obi, also commended the commission for organising the hackathon, pledging to engage relevant institutions to support the development and deployment of the solutions produced by the participating innovators.
She said the NCC would follow up with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and MTN Nigeria, which had indicated their willingness to collaborate with the commission in nurturing the young innovators and maximising the potential of their solutions.
At the end of the competition, Sora emerged as the overall winner and received N3 million, while Clear Signal came second with N2 million and Ikor placed third, receiving N1 million.
Sora developed an inclusive job-matching and adaptive skills platform specifically designed for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
The platform is intended to connect qualified PWDs with government agencies and inclusive employers while providing learning opportunities adapted to different forms of disability.
The founder of Sora, AbdulRazq Motolani Somoye, said the idea was partly inspired by the Federal Government’s policy requiring government organisations to allocate at least five per cent of their workforce to persons with disabilities.
He explained that the team observed that many conventional recruitment platforms were not sufficiently accessible or inclusive, prompting the development of a dedicated platform designed around the needs of PWDs.
Somoye added that the team had engaged the Joint National Associations of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and was working towards establishing a partnership to verify persons with disabilities in Abuja before expanding the initiative to other parts of the country.
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