THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF, are challenging Nigerian youths to engage their ingenuity to solve relevant problems and bring about change through creativity and innovation. The USPF Innovation Changemaker Challenge 2017 is a nationwide competition open to young innovators, software developers, UX designers, students, and other ICT enthusiasts from all over Nigeria.

The aim is to tackle a selection of identified problems based on the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, as they apply to Nigeria and offer working solutions to them.Participants will be required to create their own technology intervention for any of the following areas:

1. Agriculture and Creation of Mass Employment: In the production, storage or distribution of food.
2. Environment: Oil & Gas, Flood, Erosion/Climate Change.
3. National e-data on Poverty, Disease, Security.
4. Health/Lifestyle: Medical Doctors Information Exchange Tool; Health Insurance etc.
5. Epidemic Mobility Tracking Solutions: e.g. Ebola, Lassa fever.
6. Disease Destroyer Games: Educational games on disease eradication e.g. Malaria, Polio, and HIV.
7. Education: Virtual Education, E-Library & E-Learning Systems.
8. Intelligent Technologies for Scientists, Science Teachers, Engineers, etc.
9. Girls4Tech: Interactive solutions aimed at getting young girls interested technology and innovation.
10. Fraud whistle-Blowers: Enabling or assistive technology.
11. Information Technology: Communications Quality of Service.
12. National Security: Cybercrime and Cyber security Solutions, etc.
13. E-Government: Government Automation Processes.
14. E-Commerce: e-Transactions, Payment Systems, etc.

Entry is open to teams, minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 members (no individuals). Teams with female members will have definite added advantage as USPF seeks to encourage more gender diversity in technology innovation. Thirty (30) teams will be shortlisted (consisting of the top 5 entries from each geopolitical zone). They will be invited for the national finals, where the top 3 finalists will win the following prizes: 1st Prize – N1, 000,000* plus acceptance into incubation programme; 2nd Prize – N750,000* plus acceptance into incubation programme; 3rd Prize – N500,000* plus acceptance into incubation programme and monetary prize includes product completion and cash.

Opening date for registration: 4th July, 2017, closing date for registration: 14th August, 2017, changemaker challenge finals: 28th & 29th October, 2017. To register, log on to: http://www.uspfchangemaker.ng

—  Jul 11, 2017 @ 12:25 GMT