Kano Students Win National Entrepreneurship Contest with AI Farming App

Students from Sunflower School in Kano State have emerged winners in Junior Achievement Nigeria’s (JAN) 2026 National Company of the Year Competition. They created an artificial intelligence-powered platform to help farmers improve their agricultural decisions.

The team, known as Agrolens Technologies, includes Fadillah Abdulsalam, Ruqayya Jallo, Hayfa Mukhtar, and Maryam Butu. They received a cash prize of US$250 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Cape Town, South Africa. There, they will represent Nigeria at the African Company of the Year Competition.

Their innovation, AgroLens AI, is a free mobile app that offers features like detecting crop diseases and pests, giving treatment suggestions, providing real-time market prices, connecting farmers to buyers, and sharing information on agricultural financing.

AgroLens AI can be used in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Nigerian Pidgin. It has voice features to help farmers who may find it easier to speak than type or who have low literacy skills.

The team’s win was announced during the national competition and a youth entrepreneurship event held in Lagos on Wednesday, 21 October. The event's theme was “Augmenting Innovation: Equipping Nigeria’s Youth for Entrepreneurship and Livelihoods in a Changing Economy.”

New Era Company from Community Secondary School in Asokoro, Abuja, came second, winning US$150, while Nexora International School in Lagos took third place with US$100. New Era also got an extra US$100 for winning the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award.

This competition is part of JAN’s School-to-Work Educational Transition for Long-Term Youth Fulfilment (SET4LYF) program. It aims to give girls practical skills for further education, entrepreneurship, and jobs.

Participants engage in activities like Ideathons, JA DEEP, and the JA Company Programme. These activities help them develop business ideas, solve real problems, and present products and services.

A report from THISDAY noted that SET4LYF reached over 98,000 girls in its first two years. The initiative aims to connect what students learn in school with opportunities after graduation.

Olaolu Akogun, acting executive director of Junior Achievement Nigeria, spoke at the event. He said young people need practical skills to fit into a job market increasingly influenced by technology.

“The young people we are training today cannot prepare only for jobs that existed in the past. Technology is changing how we work, trade, and create value. Our duty is to ensure that young Nigerians, especially girls, have the skills, confidence, and hands-on experience to join and shape that changing economy,” Mr Akogun stated.

He mentioned JAN’s partnerships with the National Youth Service Corps, the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, and state governments. He urged for ongoing teamwork to widen access to entrepreneurship education.

Aliyu Abdullahi, assistant director of education and youth development at the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, gave the keynote address on behalf of the minister. He pushed for an education system that focuses on practical skills and problem-solving alongside academic qualifications.

“Degrees alone are not enough. We must help young people shift from being consumers of digital technology to becoming creators, problem-solvers, and innovators. Training must lead to opportunities, and those opportunities must lead to jobs,” Mr Abdullahi said.

He called for stronger collaboration between government, educators, and businesses to include entrepreneurship, apprenticeships, internships, and practical skills in education.

He also highlighted the need to link youth development programs to market access and new chances in the digital economy.

Besides the main competition, Agrolens Technologies also won the Product Innovation and Operational Excellence Award from Food Concepts.

UOFAM Group of Companies from Unique Secondary School in Akure won the Public Choice Award and US$50. EcoFlame Innovation received the Excellence in Project Management and Execution Award from the Project Management Institute Nigeria.

Ezekiel Sekegh was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. Isaac Egbe from Sunflower School took home the Best Facilitator Award.

In another opportunity, 15 girls from the participating schools were chosen for a fully sponsored leadership training camp in Ghana set for March 2027. Delta Air Lines is backing the program, which rewards leadership, teamwork, commitment, and excellence.

Edwin Idoko, JAN’s Kano State program officer, praised the state’s education authorities, volunteers, and field officers for supporting the students. He noted that this victory marks Kano State’s third straight year of success at the national competition.

The event also included a panel discussion on linking foundational learning with entrepreneurship and market access. Participants looked at how mentoring, project management, disability inclusion, and private-sector partnerships can help young people turn classroom lessons into successful businesses.

The 2026 competition was supported by FirstBank Nigeria, the Project Management Institute Nigeria, Food Concepts, and Nigerian Bottling Company.

Agrolens Technologies will now take their agricultural innovation to the continental competition in Cape Town, where they will compete against student-led businesses from other African nations.