Young Innovators Shine as SORA Wins NCC Hackathon 2026

By Mu'azu Hassan 

SORA has emerged as the overall winner of the Fourth Edition of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Hackathon Live Show 2026, clinching the N3 million grand prize in a competition aimed at developing innovative technology solutions for persons with disabilities and other underserved communities.

Clear Signal and IKOR emerged second and third respectively, receiving N2 million and N1 million in prize money.

The winners were announced at the end of the two-day Hackathon, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” which brought together 20 teams comprising young innovators, software developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and persons with disabilities.

All participating teams also received consolation prizes and certificates of participation in recognition of their contributions to advancing digital inclusion and accessible technology development.

SORA, the winning innovation, is an inclusive job-matching and adaptive skills platform designed for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria. The platform seeks to connect users with employment opportunities and skills development resources.

Clear Signal, which came second, provides blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing electricity consumers with accessible power outage alerts through voice calls, text messages and visual notifications.

The third-placed innovation, IKOR, is an Artificial Intelligence-powered voice dictation and writing tool developed to address challenges associated with expensive hardware, poor internet connectivity and physical typing.

Participants said the Hackathon provided them with an opportunity to showcase their innovations on a national platform and receive feedback from industry stakeholders.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the Commission remained committed to using innovation to tackle digital exclusion and ensure that all Nigerians, particularly persons with disabilities and underserved communities, could participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

Speaking on behalf of the EVC, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, described young Nigerian innovators as a critical resource for the country's future economic growth.

She said Nigeria's greatest future resource lies in the ideas, ingenuity, brilliance and determination of its young people.

Maida noted that challenges such as the high cost of devices, inadequate digital skills, limited access to assistive technologies and poor accessibility features on some digital platforms continued to hinder digital participation.

He stressed that technology should be used to eliminate barriers rather than create new ones, describing the Hackathon as a strategic platform for developing practical solutions to accessibility challenges.

According to him, investments in assistive and accessible technologies could unlock untapped markets, expand consumer participation and bring millions of Nigerians into the formal economy as creators, entrepreneurs and confident digital citizens.

He called on investors, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to support the commercialisation of promising innovations emerging from the programme.

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Earlier, Makama, who was represented by the Director of Zonal Operations, Usman Malah, said the Hackathon demonstrated the Commission's commitment to building an inclusive digital society where technology creates opportunities for everyone.

She said the true measure of technological advancement should not only be judged by the sophistication of innovations but also by their ability to improve lives, expand opportunities and empower people to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

She urged participants to develop solutions that are affordable, scalable, user-friendly and impactful.

“The greatest innovations are those that remove obstacles, create opportunities and empower people to reach their full potential,” she said.

The Director of the NCC's Digital Economy Department, Helen Obi, explained that the Hackathon was designed to promote indigenous innovation while advancing digital inclusion and universal access.

She said the participating teams developed solutions addressing accessibility challenges in healthcare, education, emergency communications, accessible USSD services, Artificial Intelligence-powered sign language translation, voice-enabled services and assistive technologies for visually impaired users.

Obi also highlighted the Commission's indigenous NCC Hackathon Judge Software, developed to automate and standardise the judging process.

In her goodwill message, the Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, Chinyelu Chikwendu, commended the NCC for supporting the growth of Nigeria's digital ecosystem.

She praised the focus of the Hackathon on persons with disabilities and reaffirmed MTN Nigeria's commitment to supporting innovation, startups and technology solutions that improve lives.

Also speaking, the Head of the Gender Desk Unit at the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Eneh Omawumi, commended the NCC for promoting innovation, empowerment and inclusion through the programme.

She praised the fairness of the competition and encouraged participants to continue developing their ideas.

Similarly, Amadi Kenneth of the Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) described the Hackathon as a worthwhile initiative.

He said several of the solutions presented showed strong potential to deepen financial inclusion among women, youths, persons with disabilities and underserved communities.

Kenneth expressed the CBN's willingness to collaborate with the NCC and innovators from the programme in leveraging some of the solutions to promote digital and financial inclusion across the country.

Maida commended the Commission's technical partners, mentors, judges and other stakeholders for their contributions to the success of the programme.

He reiterated the NCC's commitment to strengthening indigenous content development, supporting local technology ecosystems and ensuring that the benefits of the digital economy are accessible to all Nigerians.

The statement was signed by Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission.