Tech Firm Moves To Combat Youth Unemployment With Money-making Digital App

To curb crimes and other anti-social behaviours often induced by idleness, an Abuja-based technology innovation firm, SummerIsland Systems (SS), has unveiled a smart digital application imbued with knowledge-based games to empower the youths, students and others within the age brackets of 18 to 65.

Speaking in an interview with LEADERSHIP at the launch of the App – What’s Up Trivia – the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Solomon Ukporo, said the conception of the digital games aimed at “turning knowledge into currency,” in a play-win games, instead of using internet for fraudulent and obscene transactions.

“At SummerIsland Systems, we are building a Gamified Learning Platform for Africa’s Digital Youth
With What’ Up Trivia,” Ukporo explained.

He added that, “SummerIsland Systems is betting on edutainment, mobile accessibility, and real cash rewards to reshape how young Africans engage with knowledge, and the early numbers suggest it is working.”

In a digital economy increasingly driven by attention, the Akwa Ibom-born tech entrepreneur said he was on a mission to redefine the thought pattern of the people on how to stay afloat with cash through brain-teasing and knowledge-based contents.

“What’s Up Trivia, is a gamified trivia platform esigned to operate seamlessly within WhatsApp and Telegram, the messaging apps already used by millions of Nigerians daily, the platform transforms everyday digital interactions into opportunities for learning, competition, and financial reward.

“The platform represents the company’s attempt to reimagine how young people interact with knowledge in an era dominated by entertainment-first platforms.

“Early indicators suggest promising traction, with over a thousand users and revenue in the hundreds of thousands of naira recorded within the platform’s first few weeks of operation.

“We live in a time where attention is currency, but much of that attention is not being directed toward growth. What we’ve built is a system that makes learning competitive, engaging, and rewarding,” Ukporo stressed.

Giving more insight into the innovation, Ukporo disclosed that “unlike the traditional e-learning platforms that often require structured onboarding and sustained focus, What’s Up Trivia adopts a lightweight, mobile-first approach, whereby users engage with short, interactive trivia questions delivered directly through messaging
apps, removing friction and lowering the barrier to entry entirely.”

The model, he stated, reflected a broader shift in digital behaviour across Africa, where mobile messaging platforms serve as primary gateways to the internet for millions of users.

“By embedding learning within these everyday tools, SummerIsland Systems is tapping into an already active user base rather than trying to create new behavioural patterns.

“The platform currently offers multiple game formats: Practice mode with a curated question bank, and Classic mode spanning diverse subjects, alongside structured tournament competitions.

“Security infrastructure including CAPTCHA verification, device tracking, identity verification, and other security mechanisms underpins the system, ensuring fair play and protecting prize integrity,” he maintained.

The highpoint of the event was a live trivia tournament sponsored by SummerIsland Systems, with the distribution of a ₦500,000 prize pool among the top 10 participants, with additional rewards including smartwatches, a television set, bags of rice, and further cash prizes, won by participants.

“For too long, we have lived in a world where talent is abundant, intelligence is everywhere, but opportunity is limited. We have seen brilliant young people, sharp, curious, capable yet without the platforms to express, test, and monetize their knowledge. That is exactly the gap that What’s Up Trivia was built to close.

“I have always believed that knowledge should not just be admired, it should be rewarded. Intelligence should not just be acknowledged, it should open doors. This platform does one simple but powerful thing: it turns knowledge into opportunity,” he added.

Following its Akwa Ibom State debut, Ukporo disclosed of plans to expand What’s Up Trivia across multiple Nigerian cities, including Calabar, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Jos, with international rollouts targeted at Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, and other African markets. The expansion strategy aligns with broader continental trends, where mobile-first platforms continue to play a central role in digital adoption.