Two Nigerian girls have etched their names in global technology history after clinching the Grand Prize at the 2025 Technovation Global Summit (Beginner Division) with an artificial intelligence mobile app designed to combat road accidents caused by drowsy and distracted driving.

The winners, Akachukwu Blessed Nwachukwu and Ifunanya Gabriella Okoye, both 10 years old and from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, developed the award-winning project, Stay Woke. The app deploys AI-powered facial recognition and voice interaction to detect signs of driver fatigue or distraction and issues timely alerts to avert potential crashes.

Competing under the name Team Appsolute, the girls proudly represented Nigeria and Africa, defeating strong teams from Japan, Spain, Canada, and Peru to clinch the world title.

Technovation, the world’s largest technology entrepreneurship programme for girls aged 8–18, recorded more than 33,000 registrations from 117 countries in the 2025 season. Nearly 11,000 girls completed the programme, with over 3,200 tech-based solutions submitted. Stay Woke stood out for its creativity, technical strength, and potential social impact.

Speaking on their triumph, Somkenechukwu Mamah, mentor of the girls and founder of Code Ambassadors Academy, said the victory sends a strong message to the world about the capacity of Nigerian youths.

“This victory proves that innovation knows no age or boundary. Akachukwu and Ifunanya have shown resilience, creativity and courage and have demonstrated that young people in Nigeria and across Africa can compete and win on the global stage,” he noted.

The achievement was made possible through the support of Code Ambassadors Academy, a STEM.org-accredited initiative that has trained more than 7,000 Nigerian children aged 5–17 in coding, robotics, AI, and design. The girls also acknowledged the immense encouragement from their parents during the four-month programme.

For Team Appsolute, the win represents more than just a trophy. It is, in their words, a victory for every girl bold enough to believe that her “voice, code and creativity can change the world.”