The Nigerian Communications Commission has called for increased investment in locally developed technology as part of efforts to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign software and strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the fourth NCC Hackathon Live Show, where innovators presented technology solutions designed to improve digital access for persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.

Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said Nigeria needed to transition from predominantly importing software to creating homegrown technologies that respond directly to the country’s needs.

He said the innovations showcased at the hackathon, including artificial intelligence-powered speech-to-text tools, voice-enabled public platforms, accessible USSD services and inclusive mobile applications, demonstrated the potential of local developers to drive technological self-reliance.

The NCC chief urged venture capitalists, telecommunications companies and state governments to support the innovators with funding, infrastructure and partnerships to enable them to develop their prototypes into commercially viable products.

He also warned that the increasing digitisation of economic and social activities could deepen exclusion if digital services were not designed to accommodate people with disabilities and other underserved Nigerians.

Citing World Bank estimates, Maida said about 25 million Nigerians live with at least one form of disability, while approximately 3.6 million experience significant functional difficulties.

He noted that digital exclusion could affect access to education, employment, financial services, healthcare and broader participation in society.

Representing MTN Nigeria, Senior Manager, Strategy and Innovation, Chinyelu Chikwendu, pledged the company’s support for the participating innovators and said startups could leverage the telecom operator’s infrastructure, including cloud services, data centre facilities and API marketplace.

She also encouraged the 20 innovators who took part in the programme to apply for MTN’s next Cloud Accelerator Programme, which offers mentorship, funding and infrastructure support.

The Central Bank of Nigeria also expressed interest in exploring some of the technologies to advance financial inclusion.

Amadi Kenneth of the CBN’s Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department said women, youths, persons with disabilities and residents of remote communities remained key groups that could benefit from technology-driven financial services.

He said the apex bank was open to collaborating with the NCC and could invite some of the innovators to its Digital Channel Working Group to assess how their solutions could support wider access to financial services.

The NCC Director of Digital Economy, Helen Obi, called for stronger partnerships to help the innovators scale their products beyond the competition, while also urging financial institutions to establish dedicated funding mechanisms for young technology developers.

At the end of the competition, Sora emerged the overall winner and received N3 million, while ClearSignal placed second with N2 million and Ikor came third with N1 million. They emerged from five finalists, alongside Aditus and Axol.