FUTA Hosts HealthTrace Hackathon, Showcases AI Solutions for Disease Surveillance and Public Health Innovation

The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has concluded the HealthTrace Data Hackathon 2026, a three-day national competition that brought together undergraduate students from universities across Nigeria to design artificial intelligence-driven solutions for public health surveillance and disease response.

Held between June 15 and 17, 2026, at FUTA’s School of Computing, the hackathon featured participants working with real-world health datasets from the HealthTrace (Tracy IoT) research initiative. The programme focused on applied innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, software engineering, and digital health, with participants challenged to develop practical tools for strengthening disease monitoring and outbreak response systems.

Out of 188 applications received nationwide, 30 students were selected and grouped into 10 teams across three competition tracks: Data Analysis and Visualisation, Predictive Modelling, and System Design and Innovation. Teams worked under the supervision of mentors and researchers before presenting their solutions to a panel of judges drawn from academia and industry, with evaluation based on innovation, technical accuracy, relevance, creativity, and presentation quality.

Team Gradient emerged winner in the System Design and Innovation category with “Lafiya,” an infectious disease surveillance and response platform featuring encrypted Bluetooth Low Energy peer-to-peer communication designed to function even in areas without internet access. The team included Oluwaferanmi Oladepo (Information and Communication Engineering, FUTA), Adebisi Quadri Abidemi (Statistics, FUTMINNA), and Olamilekan Oluwatosin Aleshinloye (Computer Science, University of Ibadan).

Team Seaborn secured second place in the Data Analysis and Visualisation track with a composite early-warning system that converts HealthTrace datasets into actionable insights for healthcare planning and decision-making. Members of the team were Ikuomola David Iyanuoluwa (Public Health, FUTA), Nunsi Shiaki (Information Systems, FUTA), and Okoroafor Kelechi Divine (Mathematics, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti).

Team Tensor finished third in the Predictive Modelling category with “Tracy Alert,” an exposure risk prediction and anomaly detection system designed to identify infection risks and detect device-related failures during outbreak scenarios. The team comprised Ojo David Winner (Data Science, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti), Paul Daniel Oluwapelumi (Computer Science, Elizade University), and Aderiye Peter Olaoluwa (Computer Science, Adekunle Ajasin University).

Lead researcher on the HealthTrace initiative, Professor Bolanle Ojokoh of FUTA, commended the participants for their performance, describing the quality of solutions as evidence of the growing capacity of Nigerian students to develop technology-driven responses to public health challenges. She stated that the hackathon aligns with FUTA’s broader goal of translating research into practical innovations with measurable societal impact while building a pipeline of future AI researchers and technology leaders.

She also acknowledged the contributions of the School of Computing, judges, mentors, volunteers, and technical teams, as well as partners ValueBridge and Jemirae (Japan), whose support contributed to the success of the event.

According to organizers, future editions of the hackathon will be expanded to include more participants, stronger industry and international partnerships, and structured pathways for developing selected projects into scalable digital health solutions and research outputs.

The event further reinforced FUTA’s position as a leading institution in artificial intelligence, digital health innovation, and applied research, while highlighting the capacity of Nigerian undergraduates to collaborate across disciplines and deliver practical, technology-driven solutions to real-world health challenges.