From a solar-powered teaching robot to artificial intelligence-enabled glasses for visually impaired students, Nigerian children are demonstrating how creativity and technology can address challenges affecting their communities.
These innovations featured prominently at the 2026 Kids Innovation Challenge organised by The Destiny Trust (TDT), a non-governmental organisation that creates opportunities for children to develop skills in technology, creativity and enterprise.
Held in Lagos, the grand finale attracted more than 1,500 students from across Nigeria, alongside technology industry experts who gathered to witness the solutions developed by participating teams.
Government Technical College, Ikotun, Lagos, emerged as the overall winner with Smarteach, a portable, solar-powered educational robot developed by Adam Abubakri, Owede Divine and Taofeeq Thaoba.
The device was designed to function as an offline teaching assistant for children in rural and off-grid communities, potentially supporting learning in areas where electricity and internet access remain limited.
The competition was organised under TDT’s Kids Innovation Africa programme, which brings together students from public schools, low-fee private schools and low-income communities.
For its 2026 edition, participants were challenged to develop practical solutions in education, safe schools and communities, climate resilience and food security, while exploring artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies responsibly.
The competition's other leading projects reflected the diversity of challenges young Nigerians are seeking to solve.
Lagos State Model College, Meiran, secured second place with Smartfarm, created by Fanika Faith, Giwa Olaosebikan and Olaoye Rhoda.
The agricultural solution incorporates automated irrigation, soil moisture detection, surveillance, pest control, fire detection and sensor technologies to improve food production and protect farm produce.
Naija Mascot, a team from Delta State comprising Malik Oye, Zacson Favour, Bethel and Chizaram, finished third with affordable AI-powered smart glasses.
The invention is intended to assist blind and severely visually impaired students with reading, movement, object recognition and navigation.
Speaking about the initiative, Abimbola Ojenike, co-founder of TDT, said the purpose of education must extend beyond basic literacy, even as literacy challenges persist across the country.
“Our work of educating children today must go beyond basic literacy, even while admitting that basic literacy itself is still an overwhelming challenge,” Ojenike said.
She stressed the need to equip children with digital and creative tools that can help them become problem-solvers, noting that young Nigerians are demonstrating the ability to learn technology skills and build solutions even in low-resource settings.
Ojenike added that the challenge reflects TDT’s strategic efforts to provide in-school training and boot camps for children across Nigeria.
“Today is about the celebration of the greatness in the Nigerian child and the reminder that we must work harder to make opportunities more common for all children and do all we can to include all children in a new digital world,” she said.
Before the finale, the participating finalists attended an inception boot camp at Oracle’s headquarters in Lagos, where they received mentorship and participated in sessions on artificial intelligence, innovation development, emerging technologies, technology for good and intellectual property commercialisation.
The organisers also announced that all 10 finalist teams would proceed to a post-challenge incubation programme supported by UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and Tech4Dev.
The programme will provide micro innovation development grants, mentorship and technology skills development to help the young innovators advance their projects.
Through initiatives such as this, Nigerian students are gaining opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-world problems, creating solutions with potential relevance across education, agriculture and accessibility.
Their work offers a glimpse of the possibilities that emerge when children are given the resources and guidance to develop their ideas into practical innovations.
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