On the 15th and 16th of August, 2023. Centre for information technology and development CITAD organized a 2-day workshop for 30 youth, consisting of 20 males and 10 females on transforming tech ideas into business. The objective of the workshop was to expose the participants on how they could develop their ideas into businesses. The workshop focused on four key areas application of technology in four key areas. The workshop also allowed the participants to pitch their ideas.
Welcome remark:
During the opening session, Malam Isah Garba the Senior Programmes officer who represented the Executive Director of the organization gave the welcome remarks. In his remarks. he welcomed the participants as the few lucky applicants, to leverage the opportunity, especially in this digital world, as everyday new technologies are emerging.
The first day of the workshop was devoted to presentations by the facilitators on the focus key areas.
- Climate change (give summary of what presented under this topic)
- AgroTech(give summary of what presented under this topic)
- e-Health(give summary of what presented under this topic)
- Financial Technology (FinTech) (give summary of what presented under this topic)
The second day was ideation during which all the participants discussed their ideas. These ideas are presented in the table below.
Some of the ideas by participants:
| SN | Names | Idea |
| 1 | Iliyasu Aminu | Emergency call device |
| 2 | Hassan Muhammad | Water & Petrol cooking gas |
| 3 | Hussaini Muhammad | Rechargeable blender |
| 4 | Nafiu Ibrahim Mustapha | Fusion Cooking Gas |
| 5 | Salisu Muktar Ibrahim | DC Voltage Printer Solution |
| 6 | Abdulhamid Musa | Trading and representation of land and landed property on NFT (Non Fungible Tokens) |
| 7 | Muazzam Sani | Solar Turbo Engine Jet |
| 8 | Auwal Ibrahim Adamu | Online Learning Platform |
| 9 | Ibrahim Munkaila Adam | Phone tracker |
| 10 | Maryam S Sarkin ‘ya | Hepatitis Detecting Device |
| 11 | Hussaina Ibrahim Balarabe | Quick Errand |
| 12 | Auwal Yunus | Electric Walking Bike |
| 13 | Mujaheed Hassan | Medication Reminder |
| 14 | Halimat Tijjani Isah | Utensil Online Business |
Projects presented by participants:
In addition to the idea prresentations, others who were part of the previous workshop presnetnend their projects. These include:
- Khalifa Aminu’s Mini Outdoor Radio Antenna:
Khalifa’s project involved the creation of a mini outdoor radio antenna. This innovation is notable for its practical application in enhancing radio signal reception. The antenna aims to improve communication and connectivity in remote areas, ensuring that individuals can stay connected regardless of their location, he says that his ambition is to create big outdoor antenna that will amplify wifi network to more than 1 KM
- Twin Boys’ Water-Powered Gas Cooker:
The gas cooker developed by the twin boys Hassan and Hussain presents an innovative approach to cooking technology. By utilizing water as a source of fire instead of traditional gas, this project has the potential to promote sustainability and reduce the reliance on non-renewable resources. The implications of this innovation could have a significant impact on household energy consumption.
- Nafiu Ibrahim’s Electric Car and Surveillance Airplane:
Nafiu Ibrahim’s contributions to the projects are nothing short of remarkable. His small electric car equipped with guided systems showcases advancements in transportation technology. This project has implications for urban mobility and eco-friendly transportation solutions. Additionally, his creation of an undetectable surveillance airplane raises questions about the future of surveillance technology and its potential applications in various sectors.
- The Cardboard Mini Modern Smart House:
One of the participants demonstrated creativity by constructing a physical house using cardboard. This project signifies the potential for affordable housing solutions and sustainable construction practices. The ambition to create a mini modern smart house indicates the drive to combine innovation and technology to address real-world challenges.
- Diverse Ideas from Various Participants:
The projects presented at the workshop are a testament to the diversity of ideas generated by the participants. The range of innovations spans across technology, sustainability, transportation, and construction, showcasing the participants’ multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.
The projects showcased at the CITAD hardware lab reflect the remarkable creativity and ingenuity of the participants. Each project addresses unique challenges and demonstrates innovative solutions with the potential to reshape industries and contribute to societal progress. The CITAD hardware lab’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation has yielded a collection of groundbreaking ideas that deserve recognition and further exploration. As the participants continue to refine their projects and explore new avenues, it is evident that their contributions will have a lasting impact on technology and innovation.
Comments:
One participant suggested that people’s ideas should always be good ideas because a person should not do something that will not bring any progress in society or solve any problem. And the facilitators have advised the participants on how to deal with the challenges of any new technology when it comes out. Also, this presents a great opportunity to bring about business Integration through technology interfacing.
Expectations:
The participants are expected to come up with ideas around the focus areas, as there are more opportunities most especially now that the world is campaigning on green energy, and reduce the usage of fossil fuels and any other thing the promote global warming, agrotech for food security and pest control, eHealth as we can see in the developed countries how robots are changing the narration in the health sector, electronic medical records for long time record, telemedicine etc. And also in the financial sector as people now are getting more use of technologies to buy goods and services, the use of digital currency is not left behind.
Next step:
The participants were informed of the existing of CITAD Hardware lab, where they can be visiting in other to implement their ideas, and if they don’t have the technical knowledge, a mentor will be assigned to them based on the field of idea they have. Also we will be engaging them from time to time to monitor the progress of their ideas implementation to reality.
Some pictures of the workshop
Links to media reports
https://primetimenews.ng/citad-trains-youths-on-transforming-tech-ideas-into-businesses/?amp=1