Aruwa Capital, UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and WIPO Back The Destiny Trust’s Digital Inclusion Push
Lagos, Nigeria — Aruwa Capital Management, a leading growth equity and gender lens fund investing in West Africa, is supporting The Destiny Trust’s efforts to expand digital inclusion and promote child-led innovation among children from underrepresented communities across Nigeria.
Aruwa Capital has been confirmed as the Headline Sponsor of the Kids Innovation Challenge 2026, a pan-Nigeria children’s hackathon and technology showcase organised by The Destiny Trust through its digital equity initiative, Kids Innovation Africa.
The 2026 edition is also supported by partners including the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Moniepoint, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Kingmakers and GenerativeCAD, in partnership with Flashforge.
The programme provides children with a platform to identify challenges in their schools, homes and communities and develop practical, technology-enabled solutions. With more than 195 child-led innovations presented so far, the Challenge has become one of the key platforms for identifying and supporting young innovators in Nigeria.
This year, 10 finalist teams from Enugu, Imo, Delta, Lagos, Anambra, Oyo and Kwara States will gather in Lagos to pitch solutions across three tracks: Education Without Barriers; Safe Schools and Safe Communities; and Climate Resilience, Food Security and Sustainability.
The finalists will present their solutions at the Grand Finale on September 12, 2026, at the Landmark Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, before a jury comprising investors, technology experts, venture builders and ecosystem leaders.
More than 1,000 children are expected to attend the event, which may become one of Nigeria’s largest gatherings of young innovators.
Speaking on the partnership, Onyinye Okwundu, Lead, Tech and Skills Development at The Destiny Trust, said the organisation sees a strong alignment between its work and Aruwa Capital’s investment focus as a growth equity fund supporting women in Africa.
“We find a natural synergy between our work and Aruwa Capital’s investment lens as a growth equity fund backing women in Africa. When women thrive, children thrive, and families and communities become more resilient.
“Supporting us to empower children, many of whom come from low-income households, is another strategic layer of investing in women and in the next generation. It helps children engage digital tools early, build confidence and imagine enterprise solutions that can transform their communities,” she said.
The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub is supporting the Challenge as Innovation Development Partner, with a focus on providing post-challenge support for selected winning innovations.
The Hub will provide micro innovation development support, technical guidance and prototype development support to help young innovators continue developing their solutions beyond the hackathon.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is participating as Innovation and IP Learning Partner. It will provide learning resources and training on innovation development, intellectual property and commercialisation.
The support is expected to help participating children understand how ideas can be protected, refined and responsibly developed into products, services and enterprise-scale solutions.
GenerativeCAD, in partnership with Flashforge, is providing 3D printing equipment and practical prototype development support for teams working to turn their ideas from concepts into tangible products.
Kingmakers is supporting the Challenge as a strategic partner, strengthening the platform’s efforts to train more children to use technology tools and gain access to the networks and visibility required to grow.
Moniepoint is sponsoring a cash prize, The Moniepoint Prize, which is intended to support the education of the winner.
Ahead of the Grand Finale, the finalist teams will participate in a two-day inception bootcamp designed to sharpen their solutions, strengthen their pitches and connect them with mentors, technology leaders and innovation development support.
The Grand Finale will also feature live pitches, a technology exhibition, STEAM experiences, mentoring and networking, awards, innovation showcases and exposure visits to global technology companies headquartered in Lagos.
The Destiny Trust said the Challenge reflects its broader commitment to ensuring that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are not left behind in the future of technology, innovation and work.
As part of its education efforts, the organisation equips children with technology and creativity skills through bootcamps, after-school learning and digital skills programmes designed to help them progress from basic exposure to practical problem-solving.
As Nigeria’s technology ecosystem continues to expand, The Destiny Trust is betting that early investment in children’s talent can create new pathways for young people whose ideas may never reach the right opportunities without deliberate access, exposure and support.
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