SystemSpecs Opens 2024 Essay Competition

SystemSpecs has opened the submission portal for the 2024 edition of its annual essay competition.

The CDEC submission portal opened yesterday, Tuesday, February 20th and closes April 12th, 2024, as part of SystemSpecs’ corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at facilitating ICT capacity development.

Group head, Corporate Services of SystemSpecs, Bukola Adeboye, commenting said: “we are delighted to announce that the 2024 SystemSpecs Children’s Day Essay Competition (CDEC) is open to entries from young writers aged 9 to 16, who are Nigerians and attend primary or secondary school in Nigeria.”

Founded in 2020, the competition empowers young Nigerian students to express their creative minds in solving national issues using technology and to show them that their views matter in ensuring positive change.

This 5th edition of the competition will explore digital safety, riding on the theme: “Protecting the Nigerian Child from the Dangers of Online Technology”, with the objective of encouraging participants to find practical solutions for ensuring children’s safety in the digital world.

“Although children and teens may be digital natives, there is a lot for them to learn about engaging with the internet safely. As business leaders and more importantly as parents, we understand and care about children’s online participation.

“Engaging with the ways they use the internet is key to improving their cyber experience at school, home, and other places,” said  managing director, Remita Payment Services Limited, DeRemi Atanda.

Highlighting key activities for the 2024 edition, the Group Head, Corporate Services, said that it will be in 3 parts: Call for entry, Winners’ announcement, and the Award ceremony.

According to Adeboye: “Participants are expected to submit their original work before the stated deadline, after which entries are thoroughly and carefully assessed. The Award ceremony will be held on June 7th, 2024, to recognise the winners’ hard work, discipline and commitment”.

Speaking on the impact of the competition, Nonye Dioha, the mother of the third-place winner of 2023 – Dioha Adaeze – praised the efforts of SystemSpecs at sustaining the engagement of the competition in the last five years. She said the competition has helped to groom IT talents in Nigeria and has served as a platform to showcase young voices and their contribution to positive change.