From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Managing Director of Oasis Management Company, Maduka Emelife, has reiterated his determination to support budding innovators in the science and technology sector, which would lead to economic growth.
Emelife stated this yesterday in Abuja, when he unveiled six top finalists out of 44 entries that took part in the firm’s prize for software innovation.
He entitled the 2021/2022 competition as, ‘The Paradigm Shift: Developing Cutting-Edge Solutions for the New Normal.’
He noted that the three top winners that is; Dovilearn, an online learning and training provider; Regxta, a financial inclusion service provider; and Gbale, a property management platform, got N1 million, N500,000 and 250,000 respectively.
According to him, the exercise, “is an effort towards achieving ICT development, women empowerment, rural inclusion and economic growth, bearing in mind the situation that Nigeria is in today.
“We got 44 entries this year. Many were quite innovative, as it was a very difficult process coming to the last six and even in the last six, there was very little between them in the judging selection that took place as you see, but I am pleased to say that in the winners, we have some kind of innovative propositions from some young enterprising people, who, with the right support, I believe, can address some of the issues that we have.”
Shedding more light, the company’s Spokesperson, Charles Ofoefula, noted that exercise was opened for individuals and teams creating innovative solutions in virtual reality, artificial intelligence, business intelligence and reporting, digital transformation, disaster and emergency management and education.
“The Oasis Innovation Challenge (OIC) is a Hackathon event aimed at identifying, rewarding and partnering with remarkable Nigerian talents and start-ups who have innovative technology driven solutions from pre-defined set of categories.
“This project is designed such that ten of the best teams will be shortlisted for a pitch event. The top three teams will in addition, to receiving prize monies, undergo mentorship, enjoy partnership in solution development and delivery, gain exposure to potential investors as well as employment opportunities,” he added.