At KingMakers, we believe great ideas can come from anyone, at any age. This year we sponsored the Kids Innovation Challenge 2026 (KIC 2026), run by The Destiny Trust through Kids Innovation Africa. The young innovators we met made that belief easy to defend.
Big problems, young problem-solvers
KIC 2026 is for young people aged 10 to 17 from public schools, low-fee private schools, and recent school-leavers. Participants were asked to build practical solutions in five areas that matter to Nigeria and Africa:
- quality education
- safe schools and communities
- climate resilience and food security
- artificial intelligence and emerging technology
- the digital and creative economy
Thirty-five teams reached the semi-finals, and ten made it to the final.
Two days of bootcamp, one big finale
The finalists started with a two-day Inception Bootcamp at Oracle’s headquarters in Lagos on 10 and 11 September. They had sessions on artificial intelligence, innovation development, technology for social good, intellectual property and commercialisation, and pitching and storytelling. In mentor clinics, experts gave each team direct feedback on its idea, prototype, and presentation.
On 12 September, the ten teams presented at the Grand Finale at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island. They pitched to judges, partners and a crowd of more than 1,500 people, well above the 1,000 the organisers had planned for.
The winners
- Overall winner: GTC Ikotun built Smarteach, a portable solar-powered robot that works as a teaching assistant in rural and off-grid communities.
- First runner-up: Lagos State Model College built Smartfarm, a system that combines automation and embedded sensors to improve food production.
- Second runner-up: Naija Mascot built AI smart glasses that help blind and visually impaired students learn.
A word from our MD
“When we decided to support the Kids Innovation Challenge, we knew we’d see talent. What we didn’t expect was how ready these young people already are. A solar-powered teaching robot for off-grid schools, smart farming technology, AI glasses that help visually impaired students learn: these are real answers to real problems, and they were built by children. At KingMakers, we believe in backing people with big ideas and helping them get there. These young innovators are the kingmakers of tomorrow, and we’re proud to stand behind them,” said Gossy Ukanwoke, Managing Director, KingMakers.
The journey continues.
The programme doesn’t end with the finale. All ten finalist teams, along with selected semi-finalists, are now in a post-challenge incubation programme that runs until December. It includes self-paced tech courses, four virtual mentoring sessions and hands-on work to improve their prototypes. At least five innovations will receive prototype development support, either as funding or as materials, components, equipment and specialised services.
The programme ends with a final bootcamp and Demo Day in December, where the teams will show how far their innovations have come. We’ll be there cheering them on.
KingMakers is proud to support initiatives that open doors for young Africans in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.