SORA has emerged winner of the fourth edition of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Hackathon Live Show 2026, taking home the N3 million grand prize for its innovative job-matching and adaptive skills platform for persons with disabilities.
Clear Signal and IKOR emerged second and third respectively, winning N2 million and N1 million.
The two-day competition, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” brought together 20 teams of young innovators, software developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and persons with disabilities from across Nigeria to develop practical technology solutions aimed at removing barriers to digital participation.
SORA’s platform connects verified persons with disabilities with employment opportunities and skills-development resources, addressing some of the challenges they face in accessing the labour market.
Clear Signal, which placed second, developed an accessible electricity outage alert system for blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers. The solution delivers alerts through voice calls, text messages and visual notifications.
IKOR, the third-place winner, developed an AI-powered voice dictation and writing tool designed to help users overcome challenges associated with expensive assistive hardware, poor internet connectivity and physical typing.
Beyond the top three winners, all participating teams received consolation prizes and certificates in recognition of their contributions to advancing accessible technology and digital inclusion.
Speaking on behalf of the NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, described young Nigerian innovators as a critical resource for the country’s future.
She said the ideas and ingenuity demonstrated by the participants represented an important part of Nigeria’s economic potential.
“Nigeria’s next major oil field is not buried under our soil or offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. It is here, in the ideas, ingenuity, brilliance and determination of the young Nigerians gathered in this room today,” she said.
Maida said the NCC remained committed to using innovation to tackle digital exclusion and ensure that persons with disabilities and other underserved groups could participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
He identified the cost of devices, inadequate digital skills, limited access to assistive technologies and poor accessibility features on some digital platforms as continuing barriers to digital participation.
“Technology should not create new barriers; at its best, technology should remove them,” Maida stated.
He added that accessible technology also presented significant economic opportunities by expanding markets and enabling millions of Nigerians to participate in the formal economy as consumers, entrepreneurs and digital citizens.
The EVC therefore urged investors, telecommunications operators and other stakeholders to support the commercialisation of promising innovations emerging from the Hackathon.
At the opening ceremony, Usman Malah, Director, Zonal Operations, representing Makama, said the initiative reflected the NCC’s commitment to building an inclusive digital society in which technology creates opportunities for everyone.
He challenged participants to develop solutions that are affordable, scalable, user-friendly and capable of delivering measurable social impact.
Helen Obi, Director, Digital Economy Department, said the Hackathon was established to promote indigenous innovation while advancing digital inclusion and universal access.
She disclosed that participating teams developed solutions covering healthcare, education, emergency communications, accessible USSD services, AI-powered sign-language translation, voice-enabled services and assistive technologies for visually impaired users.
Obi also highlighted the NCC Hackathon Judge Software, an indigenous platform developed by the Commission to automate and standardise the judging process.
In a goodwill message, Chinyelu Chikwendu, Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation at MTN Nigeria, commended the NCC for going beyond its regulatory role to actively support Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
She described the Commission as “a regulator with a difference” and praised the focus of the Hackathon on developing solutions for persons with disabilities.
Also speaking, Eneh Omawumi, Head of the Gender Desk Unit, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, commended the NCC for promoting innovation, empowerment and inclusion, while praising the fairness of the competition.
Amadi Kenneth of the Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said several of the innovations demonstrated strong potential to deepen financial inclusion for women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underserved communities.
He expressed the CBN’s willingness to collaborate with the NCC and participating innovators to deploy relevant solutions in advancing digital and financial inclusion.
The NCC commended the Hackathon’s technical partners, mentors, judges and other stakeholders for their contributions, reiterating its commitment to strengthening indigenous technology development, supporting local innovation ecosystems and ensuring that the benefits of Nigeria’s digital economy are accessible to all.
I can also make this more newspaper-like and punchier, with a stronger lead focused on the N3m winner and the three breakthrough solutions.
