A technology platform designed to connect persons with disabilities to employment and skills development opportunities has emerged winner of the 2026 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Hackathon, taking home the N3 million grand prize.
The winning platform, SORA, emerged first at the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” while Clear Signal and IKOR placed second and third, receiving N2 million and N1 million respectively.
The two-day competition brought together 20 teams comprising software developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, innovators and persons with disabilities from across Nigeria to develop practical technology solutions aimed at promoting digital accessibility and inclusion.
SORA is an inclusive job-matching and adaptive skills platform developed for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria. It is designed to connect users with employment opportunities while providing access to relevant skills-development resources.
Clear Signal, which came second, addresses communication challenges faced by electricity consumers with disabilities. The platform enables blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing users to receive power outage alerts through voice calls, text messages and visual notifications.
The third-placed solution, IKOR, is an artificial intelligence-powered voice dictation and writing tool designed to reduce barriers created by expensive hardware, unreliable internet connectivity and difficulties associated with physical typing.
The NCC said all participating teams received consolation prizes and certificates in recognition of their contributions to developing accessible technology solutions.
Speaking on the initiative, NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, said the Commission remained committed to using innovation to address digital exclusion and ensure that persons with disabilities and other underserved communities could participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
Representing Maida, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, described young Nigerian innovators as a major resource for the country’s economic future.
“Nigeria’s next major oil field is not buried under our soil or offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. It is here, in the ideas, ingenuity, brilliance and determination of the young Nigerians gathered in this room today,” he said.
Maida identified the high cost of digital devices, inadequate digital skills, limited access to assistive technologies and poor accessibility features on some digital platforms as major obstacles to wider digital participation.
“Technology should not create new barriers; at its best, technology should remove them,” he said, adding that the Hackathon provided a platform for developing practical solutions to accessibility challenges.
He also highlighted the economic opportunities associated with accessible technology, saying the development of assistive solutions could expand consumer participation and bring more Nigerians into the formal economy as entrepreneurs, creators and digital users.
The NCC chief executive consequently called on investors, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to support the commercialisation of promising innovations emerging from the Hackathon.
Earlier, at the opening ceremony, Makama, represented by the Director, Zonal Operations, Usman Malah, said the programme reflected the Commission’s commitment to building a digital society in which technology creates opportunities for all.
She said technological advancement should be measured not only by the sophistication of innovations but also by their ability to improve lives, expand opportunities and empower people to participate in the digital economy.
Participants were urged to develop solutions that are affordable, scalable, user-friendly and capable of delivering measurable impact.
The Director, Digital Economy Department, Helen Obi, said the Hackathon was established to promote indigenous innovation while advancing digital inclusion and universal access.
She said participating teams developed solutions addressing challenges in healthcare, education, emergency communication, accessible USSD services, AI-powered sign language translation, voice-enabled services and assistive technology for visually impaired people.
Obi also disclosed that the NCC had developed an indigenous Hackathon Judge Software to automate and standardise the assessment of entries.
A Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, Chinyelu Chikwendu, commended the NCC for supporting the development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and its focus on persons with disabilities.
She described the Commission as “a regulator with a difference,” noting that it had moved beyond regulatory oversight to actively support innovation and startups.
Also, Eneh Omawumi, Head of the Gender Desk Unit at the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, commended the Commission for promoting innovation, empowerment and inclusion through the programme.
Representing the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department, Amadi Kenneth said several of the innovations could contribute to financial inclusion, particularly among women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.
He expressed the CBN’s readiness to collaborate with the NCC and innovators from the programme to deploy some of the solutions in advancing digital and financial inclusion.
Maida commended the Hackathon’s technical partners, mentors, judges and other stakeholders for their contributions, reaffirming the NCC’s commitment to indigenous technology development, stronger local digital ecosystems and wider access to the benefits of the digital economy.
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