By Esther Onyegbula

A technology-enabled security solution, Safe Pulse, has emerged the overall winner of the Grand Finale and Hackathon of the ninth African Girls in Tech (AGIT) Academy, after outshining seven other innovative projects developed by young African women.

The solution clinched the top prize on Friday after pitching against finalists across the Healthcare, Agriculture, Tourism and Service sectors, reaffirming the growing role of technology in addressing security challenges on the continent.

Speaking at the event, the Founder of Africa Agility, Dr. Aanu Gopald, described the ninth cohort as evidence of what can be achieved when African girls and women are equipped with the right skills, mentorship and opportunities to build technology-driven solutions to real-life problems.

“The participants had zero technology skills before coming into the program and in a month they have built these digital solutions,” she said.

According to Gopald, the AGIT Academy was established not merely as a training initiative but as a movement dedicated to nurturing a new generation of African female innovators capable of competing globally while solving local challenges.

“We started Africa Agility because we believed that African girls deserve more than inspiration. They deserve access, skills, confidence, mentorship, jobs, and the opportunity to build products that matter.

“What we have seen from this cohort is courage, creativity, resilience, and excellence. I am incredibly proud of every participant, every coach, every mentor, every partner, and every team that made it to this grand finale,” she said.

She noted that the ninth edition attracted over 6,000 applications from across Africa, from which 3,000 participants were selected, while only eight teams progressed to the grand finale.

Since its inception, Africa Agility has graduated more than 15,000 students through the AGIT Academy programme, facilitated an average of 12,000 jobs, supported the development of about 300 products and businesses, and directly or indirectly impacted over 185,000 people.

The ninth cohort underwent 16 weeks of intensive training across nine technology disciplines, including Product Design, Product Management, Scrum Mastery, Branding and Marketing, Data Analytics, Frontend Development, Mobile Development, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Backend Development, with support from 42 coaches.

Delivering the keynote address, fashion entrepreneur Lanre Dasilva Ajayi urged participants to embrace technology as a critical tool for building sustainable and globally competitive businesses.

“Technology today impacts all kinds of business. It is the life of any business. It transforms standard concept into a standout brand. Whatever it is you are developing, be it unique products or crafting memorable designs, differentiate your product in a crowded market.
“Be consistent with whatever it is you want to achieve in life. Apply yourselves in the best possible way.

Customers return because they trust that their experience today will match their experience several times to come and that (strong businesses) is what Africa Agility is trying to build with the AGIT Academy,” she said.
Explaining the winning innovation, a member of the Safe Pulse Team, Princess Ukut, said the platform was designed to improve community safety by enabling members of the public to anonymously report security threats and connect affected persons with relevant response organisations in real time.

“An individual anonymously submits a distress signal and it is transformed into actionable intelligence. That intelligence is delivered to NGOs and response organisations through a real time dashboard,” she explained.

According to her, Safe Pulse offers features including anonymous reporting, discreet access, real-time incident visibility, area insights, response management and community intelligence.

Other finalists in the Hackathon were Carebridge, which finished second; Ecosort, third; Signova, fourth; Mealink, fifth; Africonnect, sixth; Craftizonea, seventh; and Tour Africa, eighth.

Announcing the results, Dr. Jasmine Pega congratulated all finalists, stressing that the programme’s greatest achievement was the transformation of participants through knowledge and experience rather than the competition itself.

“It is not about who won or who lost but about the testimonials and what participants have learned. The muscles they have gained can never go back. It is the (muscle of the) mind and once the mind is transformed, life is transformed.

Africa is our only currency and we have to do more,” she said.
Also speaking, Damilola Daniels, Africa Agility Programs and Partnership Lead, disclosed that all graduating participants would advdvance the next phase of the initiative known as “Mentor Her.”

She said the programme would provide continued professional support, including LinkedIn and Upwork profile optimisation, mock interviews and career mentorship to prepare participants for employment opportunities in the global technology ecosystem.

The Hackathon was adjudicated by Dr Ian Campbell, Dr Jasmine Pega, Sir Theophilus Osifo and Jenny.