By Efe Onodjae

The grand finale of SecureHack 1.0, a hackathon designed to drive tech innovations across three thematic areas — Biosecurity, Physical Security, and Cyber Security— held at Eko Innovation Centre, one of the leading tech hubs in Nigeria.

The event was attended by innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and security professionals, with many others joining virtually from across the world. Over 400 participants registered, forming 100+ teams from 62 locations across four countries and two continents.

The hackathon brought together innovators and security experts in the fields of cyber, biology, and physical security, providing a challenging and engaging learning experience that raises awareness about security and drives innovation towards providing solutions to these challenges.

During the event, keynote speakers, Oluwasolape Akinde, Head of IT GRC & DPO at Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited, and Imeh Udofia, a security expert, gave presentations on “Strengthening Cyber Security in Africa’s Emerging Digital Economies” and “Cyber-Physical Security,” respectively.

The highlight of the event was the pitching of ideas by the finalists of the hackathon.

The teams were split into groups of four and required to work together for three weeks, brainstorming and ideating new concepts based on their focus areas, which include cybersecurity, physical security, and biosecurity.

At the end of the process, Team Nexa came third in the competition and won N350,000, while Team Cyber Verse clinched the second place position and won N650,000.

The overall winner of the competition was Team HealthWaka, consisting of Omolola Oluwadara, Kehinde Abolaji, and Ozemhoya Anthonia, who beat all-comers to win the grand prize of one million naira and an acceleration programme investment of up to $50,000 equity investment to get their products ready for the market among other benefits.

During the entire process, 31 selection jurors selected the top 10 innovative solutions from 26 teams that pitched. The teams were subjected to coaching and mentorship for two weeks. Ayodele Olojede, the Chief Juror of the Hackathon and Group Head, Emerging Businesses, Africa Bank Plc., said, “The underlining factor we looked at among other criteria was ‘Civic good.’

“We looked at how great the contestants’ ideas were, checked if there is a team that can progress this, looked at the quality of delivery, how they responded to questions, and also looked at their business models.”

She added that the winners of SecureHack 1.0 deserve recognition, and the Eko Innovation Centre deserves commendation for curating yet another successful tech event in Nigeria.