By TheNation Newspaper
TWO NIGERIAN girls have placed the nation on the global technology map after emerging winners of the 2025 Technovation Global Summit (Beginner Division) with an artificial intelligence (AI) app designed to tackle drowsy and distracted driving.
The prodigies, 10-year-old Akachukwu Blessed Nwachukwu and Ifunanya Gabriella Okoye, both from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, developed Stay Woke, an AI-powered mobile app that uses facial recognition and voice interaction to detect driver fatigue in real time and issue alerts to prevent accidents.
Competing as Team Appsolute, the duo outshone strong contenders from Japan, Spain, Canada, and Peru to clinch the world title at the competition’s grand finale.
Technovation—the world’s largest tech entrepreneurship program for girls aged 8–18—recorded over 33,000 participants from 117 countries this year, with 11,000 completing the program and more than 3,200 tech-based solutions developed.
Their mentor, Somkenechukwu Mamah, founder of Code Ambassadors Academy, described the win as a breakthrough for African innovation. “This victory proves that innovation knows no age or boundary.
Akachukwu and Ifunanya have shown resilience, creativity, and courage, demonstrating that young people in Nigeria and across Africa can compete and win on the global stage,” he said.
The young innovators, trained through Code Ambassadors Academy—a STEM-accredited platform that has equipped over 7,000 Nigerian children with coding, robotics, AI, and design skills—credited their success to their mentor’s guidance and their parents’ support.
For Team Appsolute, the win is not just for Nigeria but for every girl who dreams of transforming the world through technology.
