FUTA NEWS ARCHIVE

FUTA Overview

FUTA Students Win WEMA Bank Hackaholic Competition, Qualifies for Final


Team TouchNut of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA has emerged winner of the Semi Final stage of the 2023 WEMA Bank Hackaholic Competition 4.0 - held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU between the 17th - 19th May 2023. 

The team members, comprising two students, Adeniyi Daniel and Bolaji Joshua of the Electronic and electrical engineering department outshone other participants to clinch the first position in the competition. 

A total of 119 teams from various universities participated in the event. Team Raptor from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Team Chekrr form Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife were the First and Second runners up respectively. 

Team FUTA TouchNut App won the admiration of the judges and they unanimously declared the Team winner of the semifinals. The TouchNut App helps businesses build their own payment ecosystem using contactless technologies. 

Team leader Daniel Adeniyi describes it, "we developed our own proprietary POS readers for the business and supply customized contactless cards for their customers.  

With our technology, customers can pay merchants with just a tap of their card. Our vision is to enable payment anywhere, anyhow and anytime. Using our contactless technology, customers can pay merchants with our cards, wristband, with a phone or even a smart watch". 

Before deciding the overall winner of the Semi Final, there was a mini pitch to reduce the Competitors from 119 to 35. On Friday, each team was given 2 minutes to pitch at Oduduwa hall in Obafemi Awolowo University. Ile Ofe The judges consisted of a professor from OAU, head of trade at Samsung and an entrepreneur. 

The programme included two days of intensive master class and Friday was the grand finale and industry leaders like Kitan David were on hand to lecture the participants on technological innovation and the growth of the Nigerian economy. 

This win qualifies Team FUTA for the finals scheduled for the University of Lagos on the 24th of June 2023. Team FUTA members will be on an all-expenses paid trip to the finals at the University of Lagos. 

Reacting to the development, the Vice Chancellor Professor Adenike Oladiji Congratulated Bolaji Joshua and Adeniyi Daniel. " We thank them for representing our Institution well and qualifying for the finals. We note the societal relevance of the App that gave them the edge at OAU and we will support them to test run it here in FUTA and escalate it beyond our environment. They are worthy ambassadors of FUTA and we will support all the way.", The Vice Chancellor stated.