GTBank Sponsors Young Nigerian Innovators to the Conrad Challenge Annual Innovation Summit, USA

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), as part of its corporate social responsibility of promoting education for all, fostering community development, promoting arts and protecting the environment, is sponsoring three creative junior secondary students of Whitesands School Lagos to the finale of the Conrad Challenge Annual Innovation Summit in Florida, USA.

Nigeria’s Team Neon are on the verge of making history at the globally renowned Conrad Challenge Annual Innovation Summit in Florida, USA. They are competing in the “Smoke-Free World” category and have made it to the final stage. Sponsored by GTBank, promoting education for all. pic.twitter.com/bfVZmuJb34

— Guaranty Trust Bank (@gtbank) April 22, 2018

The Conrad Challenge is an annual, multi-phased innovation and entrepreneurial competition that brings together a dynamic community of innovators and entrepreneurs driving a collaborative movement to develop extraordinary and viable solutions.

These innovations are to benefit the world in one of the four areas that the Conrad Challenge encourages high school students to develop cutting-edge solutions to real-world problems in the areas of Aviation, Cyber Technology, Environment and Health, amongst others.

About Team Neon

Team Neon as the team of three students are now called, created a VirtualFarm application which helps farmers manage their farm and connect with their target markets.

With the virtual farm,  Team Neon entered the challenge competed in the ‘Smoke-Free World’ and made it to the final stage of the competition, which will be held during the 2018 Spirit of Innovation Summit at the Kennedy Space Centre, from the 25th to 28th April, 2018.

According to the judges of the challenge:

Improving extension services in rural Africa is a critical step for any agricultural change and Team Neon makes a good case for how the VirtualFarm technology will work.

This is the first time that African farmers will have access to the package, which has a range of technical advice, [and] with the USSD version of the app, it would be a win-win for the team.

The passion of these youngsters who are between the ages of 12 and 14– Mordi Menashi, Gbemi Famobiwo, Afolabi Williams and Osagumwenro Ugbo inspired GTBank to sponsor them for the challenge and for the grand finale.