The Doing Good Work in Africa (DOWA) initiative is proud to announce the winners of the DOWA AI Policy Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at engaging Nigerian youth in shaping national AI policy. As a key post-initiative of DOWA’s Masterclass at Google Lagos this July, the challenge brought together over 100 young Nigerians who applied their talents to address critical AI policy concerns, focusing on education, healthcare, and intellectual property.
Challenge Overview and Objectives
Launched on September 23, 2024, with entries officially closing on October 26, 2024, the DOWA AI Policy Challenge is designed to inspire forward-thinking, practical AI policy recommendations that can positively shape Nigeria’s tech landscape. The DOWA Masterclass at Google Lagos set the stage for this challenge, featuring notable figures from Google, Data Science Nigeria, HYBR Group, the World Bank Group, KALTANI, and Nigerian students. The July event underscored the importance of youth-driven tech policy to address Nigeria’s AI potential and challenges, and this challenge further amplified that mission.
This year, DOWA partnered with corporate sponsors and key institutions, including BeeBot, Cebar Consultancy & Training, Dreamers Academy, NiDCOM, and the OSSAP-SDGs (Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals), to bring the challenge to life and support young innovators across Nigeria and the diaspora.
Judging Process and Criteria
An esteemed panel of judges — including Dr. Olusegun Ishmael, Ngozi Aderigibe, Alex Tsado, and Titi Akinsanmi — reviewed each submission based on a rigorous, transparent scoring rubric that assessed understanding of the topic, quality of analysis, originality, practicality, and clarity of recommendations. The participants demonstrated a remarkable grasp of AI’s potential and challenges, showcasing innovative policy ideas that are practical for Nigeria’s current and future landscape.
To maintain transparency, all submissions were blind-judged using anonymized identification tags. Each judge scored independently, ensuring impartiality and accuracy.
And the Winners Are…
DOWA is excited to announce the top three winners of this year’s AI Policy Challenge, each selected for their standout analysis, originality, and practicality of recommendations:
In addition to cash prizes, winners will have the unique opportunity to collaborate on an AI project with the National Bureau of Statistics, sponsored by the Office of SSAP-SDG.
