The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on young innovators to develop affordable and scalable technology solutions aimed at removing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities and other underserved Nigerians from fully participating in the digital economy.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the NCC, Rimini Makama, made the call on Wednesday at the opening of the fourth NCC Hackathon Live Show in Abuja, themed “Technology Without Barriers.”
Makama, who was represented by the NCC Director of Zonal Operations, Usman Malah, said persons with disabilities continued to face significant challenges in accessing communication services, education, healthcare, financial services, employment and government platforms.
She urged innovators to develop technologies that reflect the realities of Nigerians, rather than sophisticated products that remain inaccessible to those who need them most.
“Do not simply focus on developing impressive technologies. Focus on creating solutions that are simple to use, affordable to deploy, scalable across communities, and capable of improving the quality of life of millions of Nigerians,” Makama told participants.
The two-day hackathon, which began on Wednesday and ends on Thursday, brings together young innovators to develop solutions across areas including artificial intelligence, assistive technologies, voice-enabled communication, sign-language recognition, accessible digital services and inclusive employment platforms.
The commission said the initiative was designed to generate practical and scalable solutions to challenges surrounding technology access and digital inclusion, particularly for persons with disabilities and underserved communities.
Makama said the hackathon underscored the NCC’s commitment to ensuring that technological advancement translates into broader economic participation.
“The true measure of technological advancement lies not only in the sophistication of our innovations, but in the extent to which they improve lives, expand opportunities, and empower every member of society to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, the Director of the Digital Economy Department at the NCC, Helen Obi, said the programme was aimed at promoting homegrown technology solutions for persons with disabilities and Nigerians in rural communities who have been excluded from parts of the digital economy.
She said the commission was particularly interested in solutions capable of addressing barriers related to disability, language, literacy, income and geographical location.
Obi said participants were expected to explore low-bandwidth and offline-first digital services that could function in remote communities without requiring reliable internet connectivity or sophisticated devices.
“We are having a solution that will be developed with low bandwidth, offline-first digital services suitable for remote rural operations,” she said.
Among the areas of focus are AI-powered speech-to-text systems, real-time sign-language translation, voice-enabled platforms, accessible USSD services for users without smartphones, image-to-voice navigation tools and inclusive job-matching platforms for persons with disabilities.
