The Federal Government, through its ongoing 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program, has initiated an Innovation Challenge, inviting applications from six fellows or teams belonging to Cohort 1 of the program, with the opportunity to win N1 million each.
The objective of the program is to encourage fellows in Cohort 1 to utilize their technical expertise to address societal issues in Nigeria. As outlined by the 3MTT team, participants can apply either individually or as a team for a chance to secure the grand prize.
In addition to the monetary reward, participants also have the chance to benefit from a one-week pre-incubation boot camp in Lagos, potential equity funding, a demo day presentation to investors, LinkedIn and Azure scholarships, as well as internet routers with 500GB data.
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Here’s how to get involved:
- Explore current social issues in Nigeria.
- Engage with local communities or conduct surveys to understand their challenges.
- Select issues that align with your technical skills and have the potential for significant impact.
- Clearly define the problem, its beneficiaries, and its importance.
- Create a 3–5 minute pitch video and submit your application.
- You can apply individually or as part of a team (maximum of 5 members).
- The deadline for idea submissions is Monday, March 25, 2024, according to the notice issued by the program team. Interested fellows can apply through the provided link.
The Innovation Challenge is one of several initiatives by the Federal Government to empower participants of the 3MTT program, aimed at training 3 million Nigerians.
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Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, highlighted that a significant number of fellows from the first cohort have been placed in internships nationwide.
Furthermore, fellows from the initial phase are gearing up to participate in hackathons within their states to apply their acquired knowledge, collaborate with peers, and develop solutions that demonstrate their expertise.
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Apart from job opportunities, the government is exploring the feasibility of offering unemployment benefits to program participants.
The second phase of the program, which commenced on February 29th this year, includes 270,000 individuals as fellows for the second cohort, constituting 10% of the target of 3 million after the initial 30,000 participants.
