Students from Sunflower School, Kano State, have received Junior Achievement Nigeria’s (JAN) 2026 National Company of the Year Competition with a man-made intelligence-powered platform designed to assist farmers make higher agricultural selections.
The workforce, Agrolens Technologies, comprising Fadillah Abdulsalam, Ruqayya Jallo, Hayfa Mukhtar and Maryam Butu, received a US$250 money prize and an all-expenses-paid journey to Cape Town, South Africa, the place it’s going to symbolize Nigeria on the African Company of the Year Competition.
Their innovation, AgroLens AI, is a free cellular platform that mixes crop illness and pest detection, therapy suggestions, real-time market costs, connections to consumers and knowledge on agricultural financing.
AgroLens AI helps English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin. Its voice-enabled options are designed to make agricultural info extra accessible to farmers with restricted literacy or those that discover talking simpler than typing.
The workforce’s victory was introduced on the national competitors and a youth entrepreneurship convening held in Lagos on Wednesday, 21 October, underneath the theme, “Augmenting Innovation: Equipping Nigeria’s Youth for Entrepreneurship and Livelihoods in a Changing Economy.”
New Era Company of Community Secondary School, Asokoro, Abuja, positioned second, successful US$150, whereas Nexora International School Lagos got here third with US$100. New Era additionally acquired a further US$100 after successful the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award.
Preparing students for the world of labor
The competitors is a part of JAN’s School-to-Work Educational Transition for Long-Term Youth Fulfilment (SET4LYF) programme, which equips women with sensible expertise to pursue additional training, entrepreneurship and employment.
Through actions together with Ideathons, JA DEEP, and the JA Company Programme, members acquire expertise growing enterprise concepts, fixing sensible issues, and presenting services.
A report printed by THISDAY highlighted the programme’s broader attain, saying SET4LYF reached greater than 98,000 women in its first two years. The initiative seeks to bridge the hole between classroom studying and alternatives past faculty.
Speaking on the occasion, Olaolu Akogun, appearing govt director of Junior Achievement Nigeria, stated younger folks wanted sensible expertise to adapt to an financial system more and more formed by know-how.
“The young people we are equipping today cannot afford to be prepared only for the opportunities that existed yesterday. Technology is changing how we work, trade and create value. Our responsibility is to ensure that young Nigerians, especially girls, have the skills, confidence and practical experience to participate in and shape that changing economy,” Mr Akogun stated.
He highlighted JAN’s partnerships with the National Youth Service Corps, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities and state governments. He known as for sustained collaboration to broaden entry to entrepreneurship training.
Aliyu Abdullahi, assistant director of training and youth growth on the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, delivered the keynote handle on behalf of the minister.
He known as for an training system that prioritises sensible competence and problem-solving alongside tutorial {qualifications}.
“Degrees alone are not enough. We must move young people from being consumers of digital technology to becoming creators, problem-solvers and innovators. Training must lead to opportunity, and opportunity must lead to livelihoods,” Mr Abdullahi stated.
He advocated stronger collaboration amongst authorities, educators, and companies to combine entrepreneurship, apprenticeships, internships, and sensible expertise into studying.
He additionally careworn the significance of connecting youth growth programmes to market entry and rising alternatives within the digital financial system.
READ ALSO: From Garden to Market: How girls’s vegetable farming is remodeling family livelihoods in Kaduna
Other awards and alternatives
Beyond the primary competitors, Agrolens Technologies acquired the Product Innovation and Operational Excellence Award, introduced by Food Concepts.
UOFAM Group of Companies from Unique Secondary School, Akure, received the Public Choice Award and US$50. Meanwhile, EcoFlame Innovation acquired the Excellence in Project Management and Execution Award from the Project Management Institute Nigeria.
Ezekiel Sekegh was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, whereas Isaac Egbe of Sunflower School acquired the Best Facilitator Award.
In a separate alternative, 15 women from taking part colleges had been chosen for a totally sponsored management coaching camp in Ghana scheduled for March 2027. Delta Air Lines is sponsoring the programme, which recognises management, teamwork, dedication and excellence.
Edwin Idoko, JAN’s Kano State programme officer, credited the state’s training authorities, volunteers and discipline officers with supporting the students’ achievement. He stated the victory marked Kano State’s third consecutive 12 months of success on the national competitors.
The occasion additionally featured a panel dialogue on bridging foundational studying with entrepreneurship and market entry. Participants examined how mentoring, undertaking administration, incapacity inclusion and private-sector partnerships might assist younger folks flip classroom studying into viable companies.
The 2026 competitors was supported by FirstBank Nigeria, the Project Management Institute Nigeria, Food Concepts and Nigerian Bottling Company.
Agrolens Technologies will now take its agricultural innovation to the continental competitors in Cape Town, the place it’s going to symbolize Nigeria in opposition to student-led enterprises from different African international locations.
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