The winning team emerged after a two-day competition held from August 26 to 27, 2026, at the NCC Annex Office in Mbora, Abuja, where 20 teams of innovators, software developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and persons with disabilities competed under the theme, “Technology Without Barriers.”
Clear Signal emerged second and received N2 million, while IKOR placed third and won N1 million.
The competition was designed to challenge participants to develop practical technology solutions to barriers limiting access to digital services and participation in Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
SORA’s winning innovation is an inclusive job-matching and adaptive-skills platform designed specifically for verified persons with disabilities in Nigeria. The solution seeks to bridge some of the gaps faced by persons with disabilities in finding employment, accessing skills-development opportunities and participating more fully in the digital economy.
The platform connects users with employment opportunities and relevant skills-development resources, with the broader objective of improving economic participation and creating greater access to opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Clear Signal, which finished second, focused on accessibility in the power sector. Its solution enables blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing electricity consumers to receive power outage alerts through voice calls, text messages and visual notifications.
IKOR, the third-place winner, presented an artificial intelligence-powered voice dictation and writing tool designed to make writing and digital communication more accessible. The innovation seeks to address challenges linked to expensive hardware, unreliable internet connectivity and the physical demands of typing.
The three leading teams received cash prizes, while all 20 participating teams were presented with consolation prizes and certificates of participation.
‘Technology Should Not Create New Barriers’
Speaking on behalf of the NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Barrister Rimini Makama, described young Nigerian innovators as a critical resource for the country's future.
Makama said Nigeria's next major economic resource would not necessarily be found underground or offshore, but in the creativity and determination of its young people.
According to her, the ideas, ingenuity, brilliance and determination of young Nigerians represented a significant resource that could drive the country's technological and economic transformation.
Maida, in his remarks, identified the cost of digital devices, inadequate digital skills, limited access to assistive technologies and poor accessibility features on some digital platforms as continuing barriers to the participation of many Nigerians in the digital economy.
He said, “Technology should not create new barriers; at its best, technology should remove them,” stressing the importance of developing solutions that make digital participation possible for people regardless of their physical abilities or circumstances.
The NCC boss said the Hackathon offered participants an opportunity to translate ideas into practical solutions capable of addressing some of the accessibility challenges confronting Nigerians.
He further noted that accessible and assistive technologies could unlock previously untapped markets, broaden consumer participation and enable more Nigerians to contribute to the formal economy as creators, entrepreneurs and digital citizens.
Maida consequently called on investors, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to support the commercialisation of promising innovations emerging from the programme, arguing that the ideas developed by the participants could contribute to wider economic and social development if given the necessary support.
NCC Targets Inclusive Digital Society
At the opening ceremony, Makama, who was represented by the Director, Zonal Operations, Usman Malah, said the Hackathon was consistent with the Commission's commitment to building an inclusive digital society in which technology creates opportunities for all.
She said the true measure of technological development should not be limited to technical sophistication, but should also take into account its impact on people's lives and ability to expand access to opportunities.
According to her, the success of technology should be judged by its capacity to improve lives, expand opportunities and enable people to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
Makama challenged the participating innovators to ensure that their solutions were affordable, scalable and user-friendly, while also capable of producing tangible improvements in the lives of their intended beneficiaries.
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| L-R: Engr. Babagana Digima, Director, Research and Development, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Isah Ladan, Team Engineer, SORA; Helen Obi, Director, Digital Economy, NCC; Abdulhaqq Somoye, Chief Executive Officer, SORA; and Dr. Beluchi Nwanisobi, Head, Indigenous Content, NCC, during the presentation of cheques to the winners of the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, on August 27, 2026. |
The Director, Digital Economy Department of the NCC, Helen Obi, said the Hackathon was established to promote indigenous innovation while advancing digital inclusion and universal access.
Obi said the participating teams produced a broad range of solutions addressing challenges across different sectors.
Among the areas covered were healthcare, education, emergency communications, accessible USSD services, artificial intelligence-powered sign-language translation, voice-enabled services and assistive technologies for visually impaired persons.
She said the diversity of the solutions demonstrated the ability of Nigerian innovators to apply technology to real-life challenges affecting different segments of society.
Obi also disclosed that the NCC had developed an indigenous Hackathon Judge Software to automate and standardise the judging process, an initiative aimed at improving the efficiency and consistency of the evaluation of competing innovations.
MTN, CBN, Ministry Back Innovation Drive
In a goodwill message, Chinyelu Chikwendu, Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, commended the NCC for its role in strengthening Nigeria's digital ecosystem.
Chikwendu described the Commission as “a regulator with a difference,” noting that its activities had extended beyond traditional industry regulation to include support for innovation, startups and technology solutions capable of improving lives.
She particularly praised the focus of the fourth edition of the Hackathon on persons with disabilities and reaffirmed MTN's commitment to supporting innovation and technology development in Nigeria.
Also speaking, Eneh Omawumi, Head of the Gender Desk Unit at the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, commended the NCC for using the programme to promote innovation, empowerment and inclusion.
Omawumi praised the organisation of the competition and encouraged the participants to continue refining and developing their ideas beyond the Hackathon.
Similarly, Amadi Kenneth of the Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria described the Hackathon as a worthwhile initiative, noting that some of the innovations presented could help deepen financial inclusion among women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.
Kenneth expressed the readiness of the CBN to collaborate with the NCC and the innovators to explore opportunities for deploying some of the solutions in advancing digital and financial inclusion.
The NCC, at the close of the competition, commended the technical partners, mentors, judges and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the programme.
The Commission also reaffirmed its commitment to promoting indigenous content development, strengthening local technology ecosystems and expanding access to the benefits of Nigeria's digital economy.
The emergence of SORA and the strong showing of the other finalists underscored the growing role of home-grown technology in addressing social and economic challenges, particularly for groups that have historically faced barriers to digital access and economic participation.