Nigerian Schoolgirls Develop Anti-kidnapping App, Emerge Finalists Of $960k Global Prize
Nigerian schoolgirls develop anti-kidnapping app, emerge finalists of $960k global prize
Young Tycoon Business Challenge finalists in 2021 are two Nigerian schoolgirls who pitched a business idea for an app that would combat kidnapping and abduction in schools. The girls were among the top three finalists in the competition.
Emmanuel Ilok and Chioma Abone are students at Greensprings School in Lagos, and the girls say their product will use wearable technology to address the disturbing cases of abduction that have occurred in Nigeria, particularly those involving schoolchildren.
Students explained to the Young Tycoon Business panelists that their solution is twofold: an app called Airguard, which will help alert family and friends if they are in danger, and a supporting wearable that will help alert family and friends if they are in danger.
Chioma Abone and Emmanuel Ilok explained their decision to work on an idea for a company called Paramount Guard, which aims to provide security services to school students not only in Nigeria, but around the world, by partnering with local businesses. When the AirGuard Wearable is released, it will work in conjunction with the AirGuard App, allowing students to alert family members and friends when they are in a critical situation or a state of emergency,” the company says.
These young women claimed that their actions were motivated by the country's deteriorating security situation; as students, they are dissatisfied with reports of the constant kidnapping of their fellow students in some parts of Nigeria.
Student entrepreneurs with business ideas are encouraged to enter the Young Tycoon Business Challenge, which takes place every year in high school (secondary school). In order to achieve this, the organization seeks to engage aspiring entrepreneurs from around the world while also providing them with access to mentorship from Silicon Valley leaders.
More than 7,000 applicants from 80 countries around the world submitted applications. Twenty-eight finalists have been selected to present their ideas in a subsequent round, following three rounds of pitching and developing solid business ideas.
The winning team will receive a total of $960,000 in prizes, including $10,000 in cash and $950,000 in benefits. Aside from that, they will take part in workshops hosted by Entrepreneurship Clubs of Ivy League Schools.
In the time past
Nigerian students have demonstrated impressive technological prowess, particularly on the international stage. Remember that in 2018, a 10-year-old Nigerian primary school student named Kambinachi Kanu was named the winner of the 2018 edition of Ericsson's Girls who Innovate competition in the 9-12-year-old age bracket.
In a similar vein, a team of five Nigerian students, consisting of Promise Nnalue, Jessica Osita, Nwabuaku Ossai, Adaeze Onuigbo, and Vivian Okoye, was named the winner of the $10,000 Junior Gold Awards at the 2018 Technovation World Challenge, which took place in California this year. The students created an app that can distinguish between real and fake drugs.
In 2019, another group of five Nigerian students, Ayomikun Ariyo, Ivana Mordi, Jadesola Kassim, Munachiso Chigbo, and Pandora Onyedire, developed an educational app with which they competed at the Technovation Awards Finals, which were held in Silicon Valley. They were awarded a prize of $20,000 at the finals.
One can only hope that these young innovators are provided with the ideal environment in which to flourish here in Nigeria.
