The Kwara State Government's 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) initiative organized a graduation and hackathon session for its second cohort over the weekend. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq reiterated the state's commitment to promoting digital literacy, innovation, and economic development through the program.

The 3MTT initiative, a project of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, seeks to nurture technical talents nationwide. Kwara State distinguished itself as an early adopter of the program, launching extensive registration and awareness campaigns across its 16 local government areas.

Governor AbdulRazaq praised the initiative for equipping the state's youth with technical and digital skills, noting its potential to drive economic transformation. The first cohort has already graduated, and the hackathon highlighted the creativity and innovation emerging from the participants.

It was organized by the office of the Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovations, Hon Kayode Ishola, and with the theme, “Driving Tech Innovation in Kwara”.

Top attendees included the State Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Hon Aliyu Kora Sabi; Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa'adatu Moddibo Kawu, represented by Mallam Abdulrasaq Oloru; SA on Digital Innovations, Kayode Ishola; CEO of Plat Technologies Limited, Engr Taofik Abdulkareem; Community Manager for 3MTT Cohort, Mr. Ibrahim Zulkifli; and the Cofounder of MalHub, Mr Kehinde Kamaldeen.

The programme featured various segments such as panel discussion, raffle game for tech creatives and hackathon product demo.

Winner of the hackathon went home with 500,000 while the first and second runners up got 200,000 and 100,000 cash rewards respectively.

The panelists were Prof. Oluwakemi Christiana Abikoye, a lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Ilorin; Dr. Abdulrauf Uthman, Dean, Faculty of Computer Science and IT. Al-Hikmah University; and Executive Director, TruORGANIC Initiative, Engr Olaide Olawuwo; among others.

Hon Aliyu, in his remarks, said the digital driven initiative will create employment opportunities for youth, check insecurity, enhance efficiency in civil service, and curb corruption within the system.

“This type of innovation is commendable, and I think it should be adopted in our local government areas and in our political system. I hope our youth will leverage this opportunity in the tech world to learn and make a good impact,” the Commissioner said.

Ishola, in his introductory remarks, said the state government provided laptops to deserving tech talents across learning centers to ease and support learning, and launched Kwara Digital Economy Portal to connect them to more opportunities.

He commended the Governor for his government's commitment to digital transformation, and how he is setting the pace in the tech industry.

“Today marks yet another significant milestone in our journey toward positioning Kwara State as a leading hub for technological innovation and excellence,” he said.

“I thank Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, our visionary leader, for his unwavering commitment to youth empowerment, and passion for driving innovation that has laid the foundation for the strides we are celebrating today.

“Under His Excellency's guidance, Kwara State is steadily becoming a beacon of digital transformation and a model for other states to emulate. For context, Kwara State is the only state that held an elaborate graduation program and Hackathon for graduating fellows of cohort 1.”

Dr Habeeb Salahudeen, Chief Technology Officer, ALVEUM and one of the Keynote speakers, described the programme as a wake-up call for all relevant stakeholders on the need to see innovation as not just about technology but about people, partnerships and purposes.