By Goodluck Ikiebe
The Nigerian Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in partnership with the Bank of Industry ( BOI) have concluded arrangements to launch the second edition of the 60-day app development challenge for young tech enthusiasts across the country.
A statement by the Spokesman of the Ministry, Mohammed Manga, says the initiative, which is open to applicants between age 18-35 according to the National Youth Policy is aimed at improving innovation and creativity among the Nigerian Youths by encouraging them to develop their own app ideas and turn them into a reality by using them to solve problems within one of the shortlisted sectors: Agric-tech, Edu-tech, Fintech, Health, Sports, or Telecommunications.
“The Agric-tech sector covers technologies related to agriculture, such as precision farming, crop monitoring, and irrigation systems. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps farmers optimize their crop yields, identify pests and diseases early, or streamline their irrigation systems”.
The Edu-tech sector covers technologies related to education, such as online learning platforms, virtual classrooms, and educational games. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps students learn more effectively, provides access to high-quality education for underserved communities, or gamifies the learning process.
The Fintech sector covers technologies related to finance, such as mobile banking, online payment systems, and personal finance management tools. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps people manage their finances more easily, provides access to financial services for underserved communities, or streamlines the payment process for businesses.
The Health sector covers technologies related to healthcare, such as telemedicine, fitness tracking and disease management. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps people manage their health more effectively, provides access to healthcare for underserved communities, or tracks and motivates healthy behaviors.
The Sports sector covers technologies related to sports, such as fitness tracking, performance analysis, and sports media. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps athletes optimize their performance, provides access to sports content for underserved communities, or streamlines the process of managing a Sports team.
The Telecommunications sector covers technologies related to telecommunications, such as mobile networks, internet service providers, and communication tools. An app idea that solves a problem in this sector could be one that helps people stay connected more easily, provides access to communication tools for underserved communities, or streamlines the process of managing a telecom network.
The statement says that Overall, the 2nd National 60 Days App Challenge is an exciting opportunity for young people to develop their own app ideas and turn them into a reality by focusing on solving problems within the shortlisted sectors. Participants can make a meaningful impact and potentially turn their app into a successful business.
“Asides the potential digital jobs that will be created from the solutions and the number of people that will find the app useful in their day-to-day affairs and personal development, incentives to app developers is to further attract a N1m grand prize for 10 top apps ; Business Development Training as well as 50 Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development participation certificates, amongst others”, it added.
“Prospective applicants are expected to send in their entries through the portal, www.appchallenge.ng beginning from 9th January 2023”, it concluded.
