An intensive technology training programme designed for young people aged 10 to 18, the Build-A-Thon Holiday Camp begins on Monday, August 4, 2025.

The programme, focused on practical skills like coding, robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT), aims to help Nigerian children explore the world of technology in a hands-on environment. Unlike ordinary school lessons, this initiative promises students direct access to technology labs, DIY kits, and real-life project workshops.

After training over 5,000 children in its debut year, the government now plans to train another 2,000 students across three cities, Abeokuta, Abuja FCT, and Kano, with expansion to additional cities expected later in the year.

“This programme is about more than just learning. It’s about building, connecting, and inspiring young minds to shape their own futures,” said Dr. Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “From Monday, 4th August, we are inviting children aged 10 to 18 to spend their holidays learning, building, and bonding with peers from across Nigeria.”

Participants won’t just be sitting in classrooms. Using technology kits and collaborative workshops, children will work directly on projects to introduce them to modern maker culture, the idea of creating rather than simply consuming technology. The programme also exposes them to digital concepts through real-world applications that encourage innovation.

The camp is not restricted to children living in the host cities. Parents from anywhere in Nigeria are eligible to register their children through the official portal.

Dr. Tijani spoke on the camp’s objective: “We can’t wait to welcome even more future makers and innovators as we build the future — one child, one line of code at a time.”

Beyond the Build-A-Thon, the ministry’s tech capacity-building drive includes the well-known 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, which targets the upskilling of three million Nigerians in digital competencies. These range from software-focused skills like coding and UI/UX design to digital marketing, cloud platform management, data analysis, and CRM operations.

The Build-A-Thon, however, stands out for targeting the younger demographic early, aiming to plant the seeds of tech innovation in Nigerian children while they’re still in school.

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Kwara State Government, on Tuesday, unveiled a Coding and Digital Literacy training programme for at least 50 public primary and junior secondary schools across the state.

The programme was organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital and Innovation, Ishola Kayode.

In a statement issued by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, after the unveiling on behalf of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the governor, Sa’adu Salau, said the digital coding initiative was to strengthen the impactful investments of the administration in the education sector.

Salau said the initiative targets over 150 students in each of the 50 schools for the pilot scheme.

“We are now faced with the reality of the digital revolution. So, what we have done today is to flag off the training for digital literacy in 50 schools in Kwara State,” he said at the symbolic launch at the Bishop’s Smith Junior Secondary School Ilorin.

“It is our expectation that with the foundation laying of a digital society for this generation, the children of Kwara State would not lag behind among their counterparts globally,” the statement read.

Other public schools in the capital city where the pilot scheme was launched include Queen Elizabeth School, Ilorin Grammar School, and Sheikh Alimi L.G.E.A Primary School.

On his part, Ishola said the programme was to ensure that public school students are not lagging behind in the digital world.

“They should be digitally literate, they should be able to solve problems in their communities because the problems can be solved with the knowledge of technology, and if you don’t have that knowledge, you can’t actually solve the problems.

“The selection of 50 schools was to serve as a pilot scheme. 15 schools are selected from Kwara Central, 13 from North, while 22 are picked from the southern part of the state,” Ishola said.

He said the programme will be expanded after the data driven assessment.

Principal of Bishop’s Smith College (Junior Session), Mrs Akanbi Ayoola, said the project is one of the best decisions the governor has taken in the era where information Technology and artificial intelligence have become a necessity of life.

Opadili Dorcas Boluwatife and Akinola Kolawole Abdulrahman, among other students who spoke at the ceremony, thanked the state government for the initiative.

They promised to make good use of the opportunity that they said would enable them to compete favourably with their counterparts globally in the digital revolution.

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Kwara State Government on Monday commenced a free Summer Digital Coding class for students of public secondary schools across the state.

The summer coding class is to equip them with digital skills to be able to compete with their global counterparts, Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovation Hon. Kayode Ishola told reporters in Ilorin, the capital city.

Designed to run for six weeks, the programme holds across six centres in the three senatorial districts of the state, with students between age eleven and fifteen as participants.

It is organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Digital Innovation, Hon. Kayode Ishola.

Speaking at the flag off ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth Secondary School Ilorin, Ishola said the state government is encouraging mass digital literacy among the youth so that they will not be left behind in the digital age.

“The government understands that for the students to have a competitive edge globally, they need to have digital skills, especially now that external exams like JAMB, WAEC and NECO are now computer based,” he told reporters on the sideline of the training.

“The programme will be run for six weeks; the first two weeks will focus on introduction to digital literacy, particularly for kids that do not have much background in hands-on use of the computers, while the remaining period will be used for coding and other digital skills.”

Other centres for the training are Government Secondary School Afon (Kwara Central); Ansarul Islam Junior Secondary School (Gure, Baruten) and Etsu Maman Saba Junior Secondary School Batapan (North); and Government Secondary School Omuaran, and Offa Grammar School, Offa (South).

The administration is known to have heavily invested in a technology-driven programme – KwaraLEARN — to build the capacity of students of basic classes on ICT.

“We received over 1,000 applications from students of public schools, both through online and at the designated centres, but only 500 were selected, having met the eligibility criteria for participation,” he said.

“The successful applicants fall between the ages of 11 and 15.”

Kayode thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for being relentless in transforming the educational sector through different approaches.

In attendance were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Policy Formulation and Human Capital Development Dr Adetola Salahu; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Kolo Majin Isaiah; and Principal of the Queen Elizabeth School, Senior Session, Hajia Gobir Bola Habibat.

Dr Adetola Salahu said the training will boost critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills among the students of public schools so that they can compete with their global counterparts.

“We are equipping them so that they will be able to compete with their global counterparts and for them to be able to help us solve some of the challenges we are facing in the country,” she said.

“We talk about waste management, we talk about generation of power and food supply, we have started teaching them how to use technology to solve these problems.”

Queen Elizabeth School Principal, Hajia Habibat, praised the government for the initiative, which she said will go a long way in engaging the students productively during the holiday season.

Some of the participants, who spoke with newsmen, such as Yusuf Ibrahim and Muhammad Ayisat, appreciated the state government for exposing themselves to digital skills.

They promised to make good use of the knowledge to advance national development.

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In a shining moment for Nigeria on the global stage, 8-year-old Tuyva Benibo has captured the spotlight by clinching the coveted “Outstanding Animation” award at the prestigious International Kids Coding Competition (IKCC).

In a heartwarming interview, Tuyva shared his journey and aspirations, offering valuable advice to young students aspiring to enter the world of coding.

Tuyva said, “I’m Tuyva Benibo, an 8-year-old student at Holden Park School, currently in year 4. Representing Nigeria and winning at the International Kids Coding Competition has been an incredible experience. Achieving Outstanding Animation requires a strong grasp of coding, animation creation, and the right coding blocks.”

Tuyva recounted his path to coding mastery and had encouraging words for his peers: “Every day, before school, I joined Mr. Edward’s class where he imparted coding knowledge and strategies to us contestants. I’ve been learning to code for a year now, and it’s been an amazing journey. Coding allows me to express my imagination and create exciting projects that people love to watch and play. To other children, I’d say, keep coding once you get comfortable with the building blocks and crafting fantastic projects.”

Mr. Paul, Benibo’s proud teacher, was thrilled to see his student represent the nation and offered insight: “I’m Edward Paul, and witnessing Tuyva win this prestigious title filled me with immense pride. With so many countries and participants, having Nigeria on that list is a moment of great pride for me, knowing that I’m the teacher who guided Tuyva.

“This experience can inspire young minds to pursue diverse careers and open doors to tech companies, actively seeking skilled individuals to fill essential roles. The opportunities are vast, and I look forward to collaborations with tech companies on an international scale to create new career paths for our students.”

Veronica Mordi, the Assistant Head of School at Holden Park School, also expressed her enthusiasm: “I’m Veronica Mordi, Assistant Head of School at Holden Park School.

“This achievement is truly exciting for us. Our students have been diligently learning coding and animations, exploring these skills beyond regular classroom settings. We want them to see the real-world applications of coding and animation, understanding how they shape education and various industries. 

“This competition was an excellent opportunity for our students to showcase their talents, and the news of our success has filled our school with joy. It reinforces the fact that our children are well-prepared for the opportunities of this new century.”

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TECH DIGEST – Abubakar Lamido Tanko is the Chief Executive Officer of Abuja-based tech company, IntelBox Solution Limited. He  holds a bachelor degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, M.Sc in Telecommunications and Wireless Technology, and currently studying for a PhD in Information Systems.

In this interview with TECHDIGEST, Abubakar Lamido Tanko, explains how his tech firm hopes to drive tech innovation in the country.

TechDigest: Please tell us about your tech company… for instance when was it launched?

Tanko : IntelBox is a tech company that is built on Innovation, Discovery and Engineering.
IntelBox has a learning centre purposely to foster technology education to kids and young adults. We have a very wide range  of technological fields and areas of interest. Our most prominent one is robotics. We believe that  young engineers should have opportunities to innovate by providing them necessary tools and training to execute projects that solve real  problems in the society.

TechDigest: Have you or your firm participated in any Innovation Challenge?

Tanko: No, we have not participated in any innovation challenge before. Hopefully, after we launch our innovations this year, we will be available to participate in innovation challenges.

TechDigest: Is there any unique edge or quality about your tech company?

Tanko : We believe in the freedom to innovate. This is why we have a Learning Center. Our learning center brings together like-minds who participate as “free thinkers” and “innovators” in our innovation clubs. We run the following clubs:

a.) Young Engineers Club – Coding and Robotics for kids aged 6 to 15 yrs.

b.) Robotics Club – Students, tech enthusiasts and professionals who are interested in robotics,  machine learning, artificial intelligence and IoT.

c.) Immersive Realities Club – for Game development, Augmented/Virtual Reality enthusiasts.

So, most of the innovations you find around are just cases of people going abroad to buy technologies and come back to Nigeria to operate them. At IntelBox, we follow more of engineering approach to our robotics innovation system.

TechDigest: Has your firm launched any project? What project are you working on now?

Tanko : We have a number of Makerspaces: They include:

a.) Robotics/Embedded Systems Laboratory

b.) Virtual/Augmented Reality Studio

We are currently building a Cessna 172 G1000 Skyhawk Cockpit which will serve as a flight simulator. The cockpit is connected to the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

We are also building a fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using a petrol engine.

TechDigest: How would such projects benefit Nigerians?

Tanko :  The Cessna 172 is the most produced aircraft in the world.  We are providing pilots and flying enthusiasts the opportunity to gain flying hours in our immersive simulator setup. Compared to common battery powered multi-copters which can only achieve under 20 minutes of flight, our fixed wing UAV will be capable of flying for hours.

This is due to the fact that we have an internal combustion engine that can carry sufficient fuel to prolong flight time.

For UAVs to be effective in combatting crime and providing aid, they must be built to fly long distances and carry heavier payloads.

Our Satellite link will provide reliable communication for manual flight controls as well as provide telemetry data over the internet.

Our engineers are currently working on a flight computer that will feature some auto pilot functionalities.

TechDigest: Has your firm been assessed by any Nigeria technology regulatory agency?

Tanko : Not yet. We are still in the process of registering with NITDA

TechDigest: Have you made efforts to reach out to any public agency for partnership?

Tanko : No, we haven’t. We believe that people should see the outputs and things we have done, for them to have enough reason to partner with us.

We also believe that when people see our products and services that can compete internationally, designed in accordance to international best practices, people will look for us.

TechDigest: What kind of support would you like to get from the federal government?

Tanko : We are available for any kind of grant intervention from the federal government but for now, we are looking for  universities that are offering science and technology-related  and sciences courses to partner with us to bring the real world experience to such institutions.

We are seeking more collaboration with academic institutions. We are willing to collaborate with universities to setup proper maker spaces for students in technology.

We can help in shaping the future if we are given the opportunity to contribute to technology education in Nigeria.

TechDigest: Some people believe that partnership with other indigenous technology firms could be beneficial. What do you think about that suggestion?

Tanko : We are open to partnerships that will provide real solutions to problems. Indigenous firms have the advantage because they understand the terrain and also our youths would use the opportunity to contribute to national development.

The post Why We Are Grooming Kids On Robotics And Coding – IntelBox CEO appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECH DIGEST – A Nigerian technology firm, IntelBox Solutions, is mentoring over 20 young children on Coding and Robotics, as part of harnessing their creative talent on various aspects of computer programming.

The infant tech company also revealed that it is targeting Nigerian universities, offering technology-related courses to bridge the yawning gap of ICT deficit in the country.
Its CEO, Engr. Abubakar Lamido Tanko, in an interview with TechDigest, said there is need to partner with Nigerian Universities teaching technology and sciences in order to bring real-world experience to them.

Lamido Tanko noted that, their firm will soon set up a Standard Tech Lab to train students in any Nigerian Universities willing for Partnership.

“If you look at science and engineering students in Nigeria now, we realized that they learn alot of mathematics and theory that are not useful to them in real practical society”, Tanko said.

He lamented that “majority of engineering and science graduates need to search for additional education to be able to feature and compete in global market space unlike their counterparts in Europe, U.S where engineers leaves school or while in school comes up with new innovation and gets employ by standard Tech organization to start implementing what he/she finished in school.

Abubakar disclosed that IntelBox solution has learning centre “that we have created to foster tech education from Kids to young adults. Our learning centre brings like minds who participate as “free thinkers” and “innovators” in our clubs like Young Engineers Club, coding and robotics for kids aged 6 to15 yrs and Robotics Club, students,hobbyist,enthusiasts and professionals who are interested in robotics, machine Learning, artificial intelligence and IoT e.t.c

“There is huge gap from what you learnt in school and what is obtainable in the real world, the INTELBOX SOLUTION is here to bridge the gap”, Abubakar concluded.

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