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Ekoclimathon 1.0 will bring solutions on climate change
Ekoclimathon 1.0 will bring solutions on climate change
By Ifeoma Ikem
Mr Victor Afolabi, founder of the Eko Innovation Center and curator of the Artwork of Technology Lagos, says Ekoclimathon 1.0 will provide sustainable solutions to address problems of climate change.
Afolabi said this during the launch of EkoClimathon 1.0, the first hackathon technological solutions for resolving problems related to climate change.
He said the EkoClimathon 1.0 is with a focus on issues of agriculture, waste, the circular economy, transportation, nature-based solutions, power and energy.
“Ekoclimathon 1.0 has received 1034 entries from contributors in 11 different countries. The contributors were divided into different groups and required to work together for three weeks to come up with fresh ideas depending on their main areas.
“Each group will get a chance to present their ideas to the top 10 teams with the workable ideas which will compete for a chance at the $7,500 prize pool and an acceleration program to get their products ready for the market in the finals on August 5. A jury of material experts will judge the finals.
“It will bring together business organizations, government agencies, policymakers, associations, agricultural sectors, and innovation centres to build a different fast track that may get the globe closer to the net-zero goal”.
He said that in order to address the issues of climate change, it is critical to start utilizing the creativity and skills of young people in Africa who are preoccupied with technology.
” Because climate change is reliant on clean energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions, Nigeria is one of the top 50 countries on earth that contributes to the problem of climate change.
“However, agriculture is Nigeria’s largest employer of workers and best contributor to the financial system.
“We rely so much on forests and agriculture, and everything we do has an impact on the effects of local weather change that we are currently seeing”.
He said that climate change can have an impact on immigration, noting that the high amount of immigration from other regions has left North Central in a state of turmoil.
“People can no longer go fishing since Lake Chad is drying up. Some of them have relocated. The headers lack a place to call home. It affects the level of wellbeing over time, ”he added.
Afolabi, said in terms of technology that addresses the issue of climate change, there are five areas of digital options that are susceptible to hacking: foundational applied sciences, cloud applied sciences, decision-making applied sciences, sense and management applied sciences (Web of Issues), and blockchain applied sciences.
“The more hackathons and other activities that promote this, the better for everyone, the expanding range of digital solutions can help us decrease the impact of our decisions.
“Funding for weather technology surged by a factor of two during the last years of 2022 and 2021, going from $28.4 billion to $87 billion.
“There may be significant money for weather expertise, and the investing communities are able to connect with organizations, policymakers, and engineers who are ready to participate in the effort to mitigate local climate change”.
Chairman/Founder Lekki Urban, Forest and Animal Shelter, Mr Desmond Majekodunmi explained that in the beginning it was quite embarrassing to be an environmentalist, now it’s really changing with the support from the younger people and some elders who are now getting it because it is our lives support system and not ours only but our children’s.
Majekodunmi, said that if our environment is not healthy then we can not be healthy, also Nigerians need to work very fast to prevent catastrophe.
He noted that the job description of a leader especially in government is a civil servants which means you are a servant to civilian society you are suppose to be serving the people and one of the effective ways of serving people is to safeguard lives, health and vitality.
“Meanwhile all these can be negatively impacted by a degraded support system and environment so if you are really a leader this should be your top priority,” he said.
He frowned against sand filling because the sand are being taken from places that could impact the environment very negatively.
“If you are sand filling mangrove, it’s one of the important ecosystem that protect us from waves and erosion, it is also a massive elements of carbon dioxide so we need to be very careful in Nigeria,he added
Chief Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, and Generation Unlimited Lead, Celine Lafoucriere ,described the launch of Ekoclimathon 1.0 as a good idea saying no one should not be left out especially the younger ones.
“Eko Innovation Centre’s ideas appear to be very promising and I will be keeping an eye on the hackathon’s growth.
” It’s important we keep an eye on this influencing Nigerian children between the ages of 10 – 30 to become active and productive citizens by ensuring that they are all enrolled in some kinds of school, training, or employment by 2030.
“It is our responsibility to make sure that no one is left behind.
“By 2030, Technology Limitless 9Ja hopes to have an impact on 20 million young people with its digital ability platform, which can help Nigerians on skill learning.
“It’s simple math; 2.5 million people live in Nigeria annually; we’re on the right track. We provide a free digital platform that allows you to access digital learning. It is a really exciting to have digital platform where all friends can debut for free and offer any kind of skill,” she added.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
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More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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