The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has challenged young innovators to develop affordable and scalable technological solutions capable of removing barriers that prevent underserved Nigerians and persons with disabilities from fully participating in the digital economy.
The Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the NCC, Rimini Makama, made the call on Wednesday at the launch of the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show in Abuja.
The two-day event, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” brings together young innovators to develop solutions aimed at improving digital access and inclusion.
Makama, who was represented at the event by the NCC Director of Zonal Operations, Usman Malah, said persons with disabilities continued to face significant challenges in accessing government platforms, employment, healthcare, education, financial services and communication technologies.
She urged participants to focus not only on sophisticated technologies but also on practical innovations that reflect the realities and needs of Nigerians.
“Don’t only concentrate on creating amazing technologies,” Makama advised.
She encouraged the innovators to develop solutions that are easy to use, affordable to deploy, scalable across communities and capable of improving the quality of life of millions of Nigerians.
Focus on Inclusive Technology
The hackathon, which began on Wednesday and ends on Thursday, focuses on areas including assistive technology, voice-enabled communication, sign-language recognition, accessible digital services, inclusive employment platforms and artificial intelligence.
The NCC said the initiative was designed to promote practical and scalable solutions to challenges surrounding digital inclusion and technology access, particularly for underserved communities and persons with disabilities.
Makama said the hackathon reflected the commission’s commitment to ensuring that technological advancement translates into broader economic participation.
“The true measure of technological advancement lies not only in the sophistication of our innovations, but in the extent to which they improve lives, expand opportunities, and empower every member of society to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” she said.
Speaking at the event, the Director of the NCC’s Digital Economy Department, Helen Obi, said the programme was intended to encourage homegrown technological solutions for persons with disabilities and Nigerians living in rural communities who remain excluded from parts of the digital economy.
Obi said the commission was particularly interested in technologies capable of overcoming barriers related to location, income, language, literacy and disability.
She urged participants to explore low-bandwidth and offline-first systems that can operate in remote areas without reliable internet connectivity or sophisticated hardware.
“We are developing a low-bandwidth, offline-first digital service solution that is appropriate for remote rural operations,” Obi said.
Solutions Target Healthcare, Jobs, Emergency Services
According to Obi, areas of focus include AI-powered speech-to-text and real-time sign-language translation, voice-enabled systems, accessible USSD services for users without smartphones, image-to-voice navigation and inclusive job-matching platforms for persons with disabilities.
Twenty solutions were expected to be presented on the first day of the hackathon, addressing accessibility challenges across healthcare, education, emergency communications, electricity services, employment and digital commerce.
Among the entries was ADITUS, which proposes USSD and SMS access to the NCC’s 112 emergency service for people who are unable to make voice calls.
ClearSignal is designed to provide accessible electricity outage alerts for blind, visually impaired and deaf users, while SignBridge AI seeks to improve communication between deaf patients and healthcare providers.
Other innovations include E-Novate, an AI-powered application designed to translate Nigerian Sign Language into spoken and written English in hospitals; Sora, an inclusive job-matching platform for persons with disabilities; and Kasuwa, which proposes enabling Nigerians to start and operate online businesses through phone calls without smartphones, mobile data or screens.
Obi said entries would be assessed based on criteria including innovation, accessibility, relevance, technical feasibility, scalability, affordability, sustainability and indigenous value addition.
The NCC said promising innovations could receive further support for development, pilot deployment and eventual expansion.
The hackathon continues on Thursday, with five finalists expected to pitch their solutions before the judging panel.
The programme will conclude with the presentation of certificates and cash prizes to winners and participating innovators.