While a lot of children are idling away, playing games, and watching
movies, their peers have seized the opportunity provided by the 2016 digitest
to churn out technology innovations that could fetch Nigeria some billions of
dollars as Foreign Exchange.
The digitest was organised by Digital Peers International, Abuja. The
initiative, gathered school children from various secondary schools from across
the country and camped them for two weeks in an annual ICT contest. However,
the school children saw the opportunity as a way of channelling their creative
energy into very productive ventures.
For the students, it was also an
opportunity to express deep thinking prowess and capability which
resulted in inventing and developing applications that solves problems mostly
associated with Nigerians in the rural
areas people.
These applications ranged from
e-health solution apps to e-government, transportation, aviation, fashion
solutions which are capable of earning billions of dollars when properly
showcased.
A member of the victorious team in the senior category of the contest,
Igba Emmanuel, from Christ Redeemers International College, Akure, told Hi-Tech
that his team invented a medical
application, e-Doctor that can detect
symptoms of diseases through an android phone. Narrating their story, Igba
said, “our idea is to help poor Nigerians who cannot afford hospital bills. The
app can be used by a patient for self diagnosis. It will tell you symptoms, and
recommend method of treatment, either traditionally or modern method.
“It took us two days to invent the app during our two-week camping
session” he added
Commenting on the initiative, the Director of Public Affairs in the
Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC,
Mr. Tony Ojobo said that the passion of the coordinator, Mrs Ibukun
Odusote was commendable as it was able to bring youth between ages of 8-18
years closer to ICT and as well got them into programming and inventing
applications.
Also speaking on the event, a former minister of information, Ibrahim
Nakande, advised federal government to accord ICT with the priority attention
it deserved in the ongoing diversification plan for the effort to yield the
desired result.
He said: “If some of the applications developed by these children are
well put together and packaged, it is something that can generate some revenue.
It is something other people should get involved in different parts of the
country, because in this age, it is the only way forward and the way to go.
“If children of this age can begin to apply themselves to developing
ICT, the future is bright for this country,” he added.
Earlier in her address, the
organiser of the programme, Mrs.Odusote explained that the theme was chosen to
address the dearth of entrepreneurial information Technology, IT skills in
young people in Nigeria. She said such skills were required to turn the fortune
of the nation around.
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