Secondary school girls in Rivers State are set to present innovative technology-driven solutions at the National Girls in ICT Challenge (NGICT) Rivers State Demo Day, marking the culmination of an intensive two-week digital skills bootcamp.
The event, scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2026, will take place at the FutureSphere Business & Innovation Hub in Port Harcourt, with live streaming available to the public via YouTube and Facebook from 10:00am.
A total of nine teams, drawn from secondary schools across the state, will pitch solutions they developed during the programme, targeting real-world challenges in education, healthcare, and agriculture. The winning team will go on to represent Rivers State at the regional and national stages of the competition.
The initiative is organised under the National Girls in ICT Challenge, a programme of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aimed at increasing girls’ participation in technology and digital entrepreneurship.
Speaking ahead of the event, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FutureSphere Business & Innovation Hub, Delight Uche-Aniche, commended the participants for their innovation and problem-solving abilities.
“What these girls have built in two weeks would impress any product team. They did not just learn about technology, they used it to address problems they see every day in their communities,” she said.
Bootcamp Drives Innovation and Real-World Problem Solving
The Demo Day follows a rigorous training programme that exposed participants to key aspects of innovation, including problem identification, research, design thinking, product development, prototyping, and pitch delivery.
Participants were required to develop solutions grounded in real-life challenges affecting their communities, with a strong emphasis on building practical and user-focused products rather than complex but impractical systems.
Mentors from the local technology ecosystem supported the teams throughout the process, guiding them through research validation, market analysis, and multiple rounds of prototype development.
Project Lead for NGICT 2026 in Rivers State, Sophia Dipo-Apongbon, highlighted the programme’s core philosophy.
“The question we asked every team was not ‘is this impressive?’ it was ‘will this work for the person you are building for?’,” she said.
AI, USSD and EdTech Solutions Take Centre Stage
The competing teams have developed a wide range of solutions, including AI-powered platforms, USSD-based tools, and digital education systems tailored to Nigeria’s unique challenges.
Some of the standout innovations include:
- An offline-first USSD platform delivering early flood warnings to farmers
- An AI-powered peer learning application to improve academic performance
- A digital student records system to address data fragmentation in schools
- A real-time emergency medical services locator
- Agricultural platforms connecting farmers to markets and expert advice
Notably, several teams adopted USSD technology to ensure accessibility for users in rural areas without smartphones or reliable internet access, reflecting a practical approach to problem-solving.
Driving Inclusion and Future Opportunities
Organisers say the programme reflects a broader effort to bridge the gender gap in technology while nurturing future innovators outside Nigeria’s major tech hubs.
The solutions presented are expected to address pressing issues such as food security, healthcare access, educational challenges, and climate-related risks affecting local communities.
Observers note that the initiative demonstrates how early exposure to digital skills and innovation can empower young girls to become active contributors to Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem.
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