By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Team Beta comprising Baraka Abdulazeez, Miracle Prince and Gloria Ajuma Omale has emerged winners of the RAEng- HEPSSA Engineering Hackathon and Pitching Competition.
The team also won the sum of N100,000 as the prize money for the competition along side certificate of participation after garnering a total of 70.5 percent.
Team Alpha comprising Isah Salihu Ehioda, Charles Dian Osebi and Solomon Utenwuojo Salami emerged first runner up with a total of 67.2 percent while the Second runner up position went to Team Epsilon comprising Rejoice Hosea Maram, Yohanna Philip Abana and Joshua Misali with 64.7 percent score.
Team Alpha received the sum of N70000 while Team Epsilion received the sum of N50000 as cash prices for their efforts.
The students who participated in the competition were judged based on problem solving and innovation, Technical Implementation Prototype/Project Presentation, impact and value, teamwork and collaboration as well as documentation and submission.
In his remarks, Prof. Robinson I. Ejilah, Project Lead, RAEng-HEPSSA Spoke University Project Office, FEET, ATBU, Bauchi, stated that ‘Hacking for Global Goals and Innovating for Impact,’ the Engineering Hackathon & Pitching Competition, was to commemorate the 2025 World Engineering Day (WED).
According to him, this year’s WED, under the theme ‘Unleashing the Power of Engineers to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals,’ marked a significant step in the unwavering commitment to enhancing engineering education and fostering innovation, both within ATBU and the wider community.
He stated that, “This event was made possible through the invaluable support of the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, through its HEPSSA project, titled “Enhancing Engineering Education in Sub-Saharan Africa Through a Research and Innovation Pipeline” (Project No. HEPSSA-2425-5-100-116).”
He added that,”This ambitious initiative aims to bolster the capacity of sub-Saharan African universities, like ours, to produce engineers equipped to tackle local and global challenges of our time.”
“As we are all aware, World Engineering Day, recognized by UNESCO, serves as a global celebration of the profound contributions of engineers and a call to inspire the next generation of innovators,” he added.
Robinson Ejilah added that, “This hackathon directly aligns with that noble mission, and HEPSSA objectives of empowering Sub-Saharan African engineering students for sustainable socio-economic development through enhanced research capacities, fostered innovation, and strengthened industry-academia collaboration.”
“We firmly believe that immersive, collaborative events like this are uniquely positioned to empower our young engineers to develop critical skills, expand their professional networks, and drive meaningful innovation,” he added.
The RAEng-HEPSSA Team Lead further stated that, “This hackathon is meticulously designed to address real-world, industry-based challenges that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By placing a strong emphasis on the SDGs, we are promoting a research-driven approach to problem-solving, encouraging our participants to explore novel research avenues and apply existing knowledge in practical and impactful ways.”
He stressed that,”We are particularly excited to witness the innovative solutions that will emerge from this dynamic event. This platform provides an invaluable opportunity for you, our students, to apply your knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving skills to tackle real-world challenges.”
According to him,”We are confident that by empowering our students and nurturing a culture of innovation, we can make significant contributions to the development of our nation and the achievement of global goals.”
He also stated that, “Competing student teams drawn from the various engineering departments were provided the opportunities to pitch their ideas, engage in tackling real-world challenges, fostering creativity, honing problem-solving skills, and developing cutting-edge technologies.”
He also stated that, “This event transcends mere competition; it was a collaborative endeavor focused on learning and making a tangible impact on our world. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the ATBU Management, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Technology, for their unwavering support all through the implementation of the HEPSSA project, and I also want to thank and the Nigerian University Engineering Students Association for its partnership and opportunity to organizing this Hackathon competition marking the end of its Engineering Students Week and the 2025 WED.”
Some of the students expressed their happiness over the development saying that it really exposed them to the rigours of core engineering research just as it has prepared them for the challenges ahead of them in the chosen profession.