Nigeria’s leading innovative and fastest growing telecommunications operator, Etisalat, has unveiled the winners of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Innovation Competition in both the innovative product and Idea categories.
The winners, Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo, were unveiled last week in Lagos at an award ceremony during which they were presented with cheques of N5m and N2m for winning most innovative product/service category and the most innovative idea category.
Speaking in his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, said the Prize for Innovation initiative which aims at discovering and growing young Nigerians with innovative products, ideas and solutions using mobile broadband technology, reflects the company’s commitment to nurturing talents and promoting creativity that will have invaluable impacts on individuals and organisations.
“As a company, innovation is at the core of our business; it is the strength on which we thrive. The world is driven by innovation and Nigeria needs innovators whose ideas and products can drive development and help people live as they should. We at Etisalat are glad to provide a platform to mobilise the nation’s teeming crop of young and undiscovered innovators to impact all areas of the society,” he said.
The Etisalat CEO also called on those with innovative ideas to avail themselves of the opportunity offered by the initiative to contribute to the development of the society, adding “it is not about how many ideas you have, but how many you make happen that matters.”
Winners of the most innovative product and ideas categories, Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo in addition to their cash prizes were also rewarded with a publicity campaign, mentoring session at EDC Pan Atlantic University
The winning product in the most innovative product category, Study Lab Math, is a repository of over 1300+ videos solving math problems in over 49 topics in the NERDC curriculum for senior secondary school Math. The videos are solved by a team of Math teachers led by WAEC Chief Examiner.
Dedicated Traffic Mapping Device (DTMD) which emerged the winning idea in the most innovative idea category is a GPRS enabled traffic navigation device with voice over interface which is affixed to a vehicle windshield to help users navigate their way through traffic by accessing real-time traffic data and suggesting shorter/alternate routes.
Speaking shortly after receiving his prize, an elated Chijioke noted that the Dedicated Traffic Mapping Device (DTMD) was borne out of the need to help road users achieve more by managing traffic navigation through the busy cities and other urban areas with heavy vehicular movement.
The Etisalat Prize for Innovation has succeeded in rewarding innovation since its inception in 2012. The Prize has given its winners the opportunity to showcase and develop their ideas as well as promote innovation and creativity in Nigeria and produce products/services and ideas that will greatly impact the lives of Nigerians.
