By MILLICENT IFEANYICHUKWU

Thirty-six teams across different categories, including visually impaired students, have qualified to represent Nigeria at the Codeavour 7.0 International Championship in Indonesia in May.

The teams emerged during the Codeavour 7.0 National Championship grand finale held at Charterhouse Lagos.

The event followed rigorous regional contests earlier hosted at Ecobank Headquarters in Lagos and Cosmopolitan University in Abuja, producing young innovators now set to represent Nigeria at the international championship.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ‘Beyond Sight’ team, made up of visually impaired students from Lagos State, wowed judges with their game-changing tech.

The students designed AI-powered audio glasses that help visually impaired people move around and live independently.

The team also developed an AI-powered smart walking stick capable of detecting environmental hazards, including smoke and fire, demonstrating how assistive technologies can enhance safety for vulnerable individuals.

Speaking at the event, Mrs Habeebah Ibrahim, Codeavour Country Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Beebahtics Enterprise, commended the participants, describing their achievements as evidence of inclusive technology education.

Beebahtics Enterprise is bridging Nigeria’s STEM gap by partnering with top manufacturers to deliver hands-on educational kits to students and equip Nigerian students with the skills to compete globally.

Ibrahim emphasised that the mission of Codeavour in Nigeria has always been to democratise access to STEM.

“Seeing the students qualify for an international stage in Indonesia is a testament to the transformative power of inclusive education.

“Today we have witnessed that innovation has no physical boundaries.

“Seeing our visually impaired students qualify for the International Championship in Indonesia with their AI-powered solutions is awesome.

“This is a profound reminder that when we provide the right tools and an inclusive environment, every child, regardless of their physical ability, can lead the change In the digital revolution.

“At Beebahtics and through the Codeavour platform, we aren’t just teaching code; we are empowering a generation to see challenges as opportunities for invention.”

She emphasised that the students didn’t just compete, but broke barriers and showed the world Nigerian tech has no limits – it’s for everyone.

Similarly, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, commended the projects displayed by students, noting their ingenuity signals promising prospects for Nigeria’s engineering and software development.

Earlier, Mamu Muhammad, Chief Executive Officer of STEM Childcare Academy, Abuja, said the success of teams from various regions reflects growing nationwide interest in technology education.

Muhammad said the national finals brought together talented young minds from all walks of life, uniting them around innovative solutions and creative problem-solving.

Similarly, John Todd, Director of Education at Charterhouse Lagos, expressed pride in hosting the championship, noting the event demonstrated Nigeria’s potential to nurture globally competitive innovators.

He said the energy at the venue was electric, noting that the Nigerian education system is capable of fostering world-class innovators when given the right support.

NAN reports that the competition had three tracks and multiple age groups, with teams showcasing projects in coding, AI, and robotics that tackled real-world problems.

In Track One, Team Focus Frontier won the Elementary category, Intercontinental Team Kano secured the Junior category, while Team Biteback topped the Senior division with Beyond Sight finishing second.

Track Two winners included Code Crushers in Elementary, Trinity Tribe in Junior and Team City in Senior, while Track Three champions were Supercoders, Focus Frontier in Junior and Robogha.

The qualified teams will represent Nigeria at the Codeavour International Championship scheduled for May 16 in Jakarta, Indonesia, showcasing locally developed AI-driven innovations on the global stage. (NAN)

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