BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – As part of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s 70th birthday celebration, Greysoft Technologies, in collaboration with the Kukah Centre, has finalised arrangements to stage the maiden edition of ‘The Kukah Prize for Young Innovators’.
Addressing the media on Wednesday in Abuja, Chairman of Greysoft Technologies, Dr. Manzo Daniel Maigari said the award was “a clear recognition of the national and global status of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah as not only a quintessential intellectual but a promoter of new modern trends in resolving the challenges of society through innovations.
“In partnership with The Kukah Centre, our company, Greysoft Technologies, has commenced the endowment of ‘The Kukah Prize for Young Innovators’ in order to celebrate outstanding innovative minds of Nigerian and African descent in the field of technology. The conferment of the award in the name of Bishop Kukah is in clear acknowledgement of the sterling efforts deployed by the erudite Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese in encouraging younger generations to rise up and embrace modern innovation through the use of technologies for development”.
Describing Bishop Kukah as both national and global icon who has encouraged youths to rise up and realise their manifest destiny in various human endeavours, “Bishop Kukah remains a symbol of fearlessness in advocating for freedom and democratic rights.
“There’s no doubt that the mass of African youths are burdened with the task of surviving hard times brought by underdevelopment and other challenges confronting the continent. Amidst declining living standards caused by monumental crises, this award attempts to honour exceptionally brilliant young minds dedicated to the development of their countries in resolving their immediate problems.
“Our youths are still trapped in the backwaters of a forlorn hope, but we also accept the fact that the youthful spirit of standing beyond the boundaries of despair holds the promise for a new day in Africa. Recognising these talents that are determined to change the story of Africa has the capacity to inspire and encourage others to embark on the journey of making a difference for the improvement of humanity.
“If we ever hope to join other parts of the world engaged in the deployment of the Knowledge Economy for the advancement of Africa, we must encourage and reward young Africans who have demonstrated exceptional skills for digital transformation. We must also stay the course in inspiring bright young minds whose creative technological solutions have the potential to bring about positive growth in our communities and in the wider world”.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Greysoft Technologies, Mr. Raphael Isah, noted that entries for the award are currently being reviewed and evaluated by judges in the startup and tech space across the continent for the most innovative digital solutions in the form of startups or initial concepts meeting global developmental challenges”.
Bishop Kukah has always been in the forefront of engaging youths to embrace modern innovations in achieving greatness. This award is for youths that are into deployment of innovations in solving the challenges facing society.
“The selection criteria, according to the CEO, included youths that “have not reached their 31st birthday by the time the award is received; candidates must be African, even though this maiden edition is limited to Nigeria, subsequent ones will encompass Africa; the award will be presented to individuals whose innovative work demonstrates high levels of excellence in technology, and the award winner will be selected on the basis of the outstanding quality, novelty and significance of the candidate’s research”.
The Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Rev Fr (Dr) Atta Barkindo, said the award is in line with the Bishop’s passionate dream of encouraging the youth brace up for future by deploying innovation to develop the country.
