By Emeka Aginam, in Sydney, Australia

While flying the Nigerian flag in the   ongoing Microsoft Imagine Cup software competition holding in Sydney, Australia,  Nigerian Team  on Saturday failed to  scale the hurdle to round two in the software design category

Although with impressive outing and innovative solution, the team will not go for second round of the competition.

Okoya Timileyin and Oludayo Alli who is currently flying Nigerian flag at the ongoing Microsoft Imagine Cup software competition holding in Sydney, Australia doing their presentation before panle of judges; Photo by Emeka Aginam

However, the   two software incubators from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Alli Oludayo of Psychology department and Okoya Timileyin of Elect/Elect Engineering  had during their presentations showcased their solution with  confidence  before intelligent international panel of judges,  demonstrating that their product can make a difference in emergency situation in health care delivery.

The only hope left for the Nigerian team now is to strive to make a mark  in the people’s choice award which will end in a matter days.

Keen observers have said that if the solution is fully deployed,  will go a long way in making a difference in emergency situation regarding health care.

However, out of 72 teams in the software design category that presented their innovative solutions, only 20 teams made the list for the second round in the software design category.

In the keenly contested competition by creative minds,  only two African teams including Uganda and Egypt made it in round two in the competition that brought together the most talented students from the globe.

Meanwhile, Japan, Romania, Singapore, Greece, Ireland, China, Jordan, Qatar, Slovenia, Germany, Egypt, Australia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Taiwan, New Zealand, Uganda, Portugal, Korea and Oman were among the countries that made it to second round.

With this development, the successful 20 teams go for another contest after which the judges will out the best for final round.

While congratulating  Egypt, and especially Uganda for makiong it , Shina Oyetosho / Developer & Platform Evangelism Lead / Microsoft Anglophone West Africa  told Vanguard Hi-Tech shortly after the announcement of the result that  he was  proud of the Nigerian team.. “For the rest of the participants, including Team Gravity, it’s not what happens at Imagine Cup, but what happens after this exhilarating event, that matters. They are all  winners in their own right to compete here in Sydney, among the best in the world, in the first place.

“If you pay attention, you will realize that the two African teams that made it to the 2nd round are the two African teams that rank highest in the Peoples’ Choice Awards. I implore Nigerians, especially the Nigerian students to do their country proud, unite behind our flag bearers and vote en masse in the People’s Choice Awards. Had Nigeria ranked higher in the PCA, we could’ve been in the top 20 tonight. Team Gravity are quite encouraged and cherish the experience and of course will continue to build on their dreams for the SwiftER solution, because it will definitely make the world a better place” he explained.

Meanwhile, the team leader  of the Nigerian team, Oludayo Alli, a final psychology department of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State had  told Vanguard Hi-Tech  with optimism  that their solution will not stop with Imagine Cup. “We will take it to the next level. We will not stop. We will keep it up. We will keep it running. We will make a difference with in my country Nigeria and the rest of the African sub-region” he said.

Running in its 10th year, the Microsoft Imagine Cup brings together students from around the world who are stepping up to the challenge of leading global change.

Students were selected from three competitions; Software Design, Game Design: Xbox/Windows, and Game Design: Phone, but these were not   their only opportunities to compete. They also had the opportunity to share their world-changing ideas in the Kinect Fun Labs Challenge, Windows Metro Style App Challenge, Windows Azure Challenge or Windows Phone Challenge

The Microsoft Imagine Cup 2012 Software Design Competition is all about creating real-world applications and solutions that can help make the world a better place. Using Microsoft tools and technology, student competitors can unleash their ideas and technical talent to create cutting-edge software applications.

Students develop, test, and build their ideas into applications that can help solve some of the world’s toughest problems, such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, environmental sustainability, and access to education and healthcare. For the last ten years, students have proven they have the knowledge, the passion, and the drive to make a difference.

It would be recalled that the Imagine Cup 2012 Software Design Local finals have taken place in over 70 countries all around the world Local and Online finals winners are currently e competing at 2012 worldwide finals in Sydney, Australia