A group of three women – all final year Computer Science and Engineering students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has won the maiden edition of the LAUTECH Innovation Challenge (LIC) held on the main campus of the school.
The students, who made up Team Impact, won N1 million seed investment fund, after they emerged the best team in the competition.
The team, led by Abiodun Okunade, competed with 29 others to win the coveted investment fund prize.
Other members of the Impact Team are Yetunde Akinbola and Comfort Tayo.
The Team Impact is to reduce the learning difficulties faced by children with Down Syndrome. Before winning LIC, the team had made 50 animations for a child with Down Syndrome and discovered the innovation could be extended to others.
Abiodun said: “Presently, the prevalence of Down’s Syndrome in Nigeria is one per 865 live births. The genetic disorder keeps the cognitive skills of the victim at the barest minimum possible. We designed an innovative solution to help the children living with the medical condition. The innovation won the first prize at LIC and this shows we are on the right track in our effort to help victims of Down Syndrome cope with learning.”
The first runner-up in the competition was Team SmartFi. People’s Choice Award was presented to Team Highlanders.
Dignitaries who served as judges included Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Education, Dr Bisi Akin-Alabi, a businessman, Chief Abdulrasheed Ayinla, Mr Icon Akorede of Light House Group, Dr A.S. Oyadeyi of Physiology Department and Chief Executive Officer of SQI, Mr Adeyemi Aderinto, among others.
LAUTECH Innovation Challenge is a competition that seeks to initiate best possible social entrepreneurial ideas by students to solve real problems.
