In a spectacular celebration of youth-driven innovation and sustainability, the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN) has concluded its 2025 Artificial Intelligence (AI), Coding, and Robotics Competition, awarding top honours to brilliant young minds from across the country.
Themed “Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Cities Hackathon,” this year’s competition united 30 teams of primary, secondary, and sixth-form students from APEN member schools to tackle real-world challenges with cutting-edge technology.
The six-week journey kicked off with onboarding on May 23 and culminated in an electrifying grand finale on July 3, hosted at Role Model School, Lagos. Sponsored by Role Model School and supported by technical partners STEMi Makers of Africa and Imperial EdTech, the competition showcased how students are embracing innovation to solve problems within their communities and beyond.
Each competition category addressed sustainability issues in a hands-on, purpose-driven way:
- Primary School teams built smart home watering systems;
- Secondary School teams designed IoT-enabled smart waste bins;
- Sixth Form students tackled urban mobility with AI-powered smart traffic light systems.
The three-stage challenge began virtually with concept submission and progressed through prototype development to a final live presentation. Judges from STEMi and Imperial EdTech provided individualised feedback at every stage to ensure that learning and growth remained central to the process.
“The competition was not just about winning or building the fastest robot,” said Mrs. Olufunke Fowler-Amba, Administrator at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls and Chairperson of APEN’s Advocacy Committee.
“It was about the late nights, the brainstorming, the failed attempts, and finally cracking the code. That’s where real growth happens.”
At the thrilling finale, 15 finalists presented their projects before a panel of expert judges and a live audience. After a rigorous assessment for credibility, creativity, and effectiveness, seven standout teams emerged victorious:
Primary Category
🥇 Bowine International School – 1st Place
🥈 MD School – 2nd Place
🥉 Princeton Schools – 3rd Place
Secondary Category
🥇 Halifield School – 1st Place
🥈 Grace High School – 2nd Place
🥉 Atlantic Hall – 3rd Place
Sixth Form Category
🏆 Oxbridge Tutorial College – Winner
Each winning team demonstrated not just technical skill, but a clear understanding of sustainability and social impact—hallmarks of the competition’s core mission.
Grace Akinyemi, Acting Administrator of APEN, praised the students for their innovation and the learning-centric approach of the competition.
“This is about building the next generation of problem solvers,” she said.
“The feedback system we used was intentional—to make sure every student walked away with more than just a trophy. They gained perspective, knowledge, and confidence.”
Esha Ogbazi, Partnerships Lead at STEMi Makers of Africa, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to fostering innovation across Africa through education.
“We are proud of these achievements. By supporting APEN, we’re helping students create solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals—especially in areas like waste management, energy use, and precision agriculture,” she said.
“This is how we build future-ready communities.”
The 2025 APEN competition wasn’t just a test of tech skills—it was a living laboratory of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. It showed what’s possible when young people are given the right tools, the right mentors, and a meaningful problem to solve.
As Nigeria continues to position itself as a hub for innovation in education and technology, initiatives like the APEN AI, Coding & Robotics Competition are lighting the path—one student at a time.