Enugu govt announces $21,000 prize pool for campus hackathon winners

The Enugu State Government has announced a total prize pool of $21,000 to reward winners of the Enugu State Campus Hackathon competition, reinforcing its commitment to building a technology-driven and innovation-led economy.

Peter Mbah, Governor of Enugu State, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed this at the grand finale of the competition held at the International Conference Centre last week Friday.

Onyia explained that the incentives go beyond financial grants, describing them as equity investments in the future founders and innovators of Enugu State.

According to him, the overall winner will receive $5,000 in cash and six months of incubation support valued at over $10,000. The second-place winner will receive $3,500 along with similar incubation support, while the third-place team will get $2,500 and structured enterprise support.

“For us in Enugu State, the incubation support is the most critical component,” Onyia said. “It refines the ideas participants bring forward, enabling them to solve real-world problems and create economic value.”

He noted that the initiative aligns with Governor Mbah’s vision of transitioning the State from a consumption-driven economy to a productivity-led system powered by enterprise, technology, and private sector participation.

“Enugu State must move from a consumption-driven structure to a productivity-led economy,” Onyia said. “We are not merely providing a platform for competition; we are building the institutional framework required to unlock the potential of our youth.”

He added that the administration’s economic reforms are anchored on bold policy decisions, institutional discipline, and strategic investments aimed at transforming Enugu into a modern, innovation-driven economy capable of competing globally.

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Onyia, emphasised that the hackathon was part of a broader strategy to invest in “intellectual infrastructure,” complementing ongoing investments in smart green schools and expanded healthcare facilities across the State.

“This hackathon is not a transient event. It is structured, state-backed, and designed to create a pipeline for identifying, refining, and scaling high-potential technology talent across our tertiary institutions. It represents governance in action where policy meets opportunity”, he said.

The journey to the grand finale featured competitive engagements across six tertiary institutions, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, Godfrey Okoye University and Coal City University.

Selected teams participated in an intensive boot camp where their ideas underwent product validation to ensure they address real economic challenges.

The process also included business model stress testing, market analysis, and execution planning, alongside institutional support through partnerships with innovation-driven firms.

Arinze Chilo-Offiah, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital Economy and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu MSME and Startup Agency (Enugu SME Centrr), in his remark, said the hackathon was deliberately designed as more than a one-off event.

“It is a state-backed innovation pipeline created to identify high-potential talent across our tertiary institutions, refine ideas through discipline and mentorship, and prepare them for market readiness and access to capital,” he said.

Chilo-Offiah noted that the initiative forms part of the State’s broader Digital Economy Transformation Agenda under Governor Mbah’s leadership, focusing on digital infrastructure, skills expansion, outsourcing activation, startup policy reform, and structured access to capital.

He said, “We are building systems that convert talent into products, products into startups, and startups into jobs. The future economy will not reward potential—it will reward preparation, discipline, and execution.”

He urged finalists to demonstrate not only what they have built but also their strategic thinking and execution capacity, while thanking partners and judges for their support in strengthening the state’s innovation ecosystem.

The Enugu State Campus Hackathon is aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry.