Twelve year old Joshua Agboola has won the MTN mPulse Hackathon themed ‘Beyond COVID’, the company has said.
The MTN mPulse was initiated in 2018 for kids between age nine and 15 with a portal that assists students with work while getting some entertainment.
Agboola who is a JSS 2 student of Bellina College, Akoka in Lagos, won the competition by creating ‘Kagukar Study Buddie,’ a home-schooling, remote education and learning solution.
Using artificial intelligence, the study buddy works as an interactive voice-activated robot that assists students with a mix of study and entertainment.
Agboola received N1 million funding support, N100,000 cash voucher, portable electronic devices worth over N120,000 and mPulse back-to-school items.
The champion thanked MTN, saying, “I feel excited. I have been able to show my potential towards changing the world and impact lives positively with my solution; thanks to MTN.”
The first runner up, Abeedah Alabi of Jakande Estate Comprehensive Senior College in Lagos and second runner up, Amarachi Ogbu of Government Day Secondary School, Abuja also received N500,000 funding support, N100,000 cash vouchers, N120,000 portable electronic devices, and mPulse back-to-school items.
The top 10 finalists will participate in a six-week virtual MTN GAP Boot camp, an incubation programme to further refine their winning solutions to market in collaboration with TechQuest STEM Academy.
Commenting on the competition, the Chief Transformation Officer, MTN Nigeria, Bayo Adekanmbi, stated that technology has bridged the gap between the children and the future, positioning them to lead the charge to a bold new world.
“The MTN mPulse Hackathon is part of our wider contribution towards this aspiration, consistent with our commitment to champion innovation,” he said.