By Ed Malik, A | ed@ddnewsonline.com | posted 2nd June, 2025
A Team of Students from prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has clinched the first prize in the AI/Innovation Track at the prestigious Huawei ICT Skills Competition Global Finals held in Shenzhen, China, from May 20 to 25, 2025.
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Representing the University, they competed under the banner “TeamABU2024”. The trio of Hadiza Mohammed (Department of Computer Science), Sufiyan Ibrahim and Lawal Dundu Haruna (both of the Department of Computer Engineering), emerged victorious with their project: ‘AI-powered CropDiseaseDetector’.
The innovative solution detects diseases in major crops such as yam, cassava, rice, sorghum, beans, tomato, wheat, potato, soybean, and groundnut, and also analyzes soil health by measuring nutrient levels (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), temperature, moisture, pH, and conductivity.
The device delivers multilingual results and recommendations—in both audio and text for English, Pidgin English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, and in text-only for Kiswahili, Afrikaans, French, and Arabic. It is complemented by a mobile application compatible with Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS.
Dr. Engr. Zaharuddeen Haruna of the Department of Computer Engineering served as both mentor and the team’s instructor, while the Director of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Nigeria National Centre, Prof. M. B. Muazu, briefed the University leadership on the victory.
Team member Hadiza Mohammed described the experience as enlightening and a valuable opportunity to network with global tech innovators. “We believed in our solution, and we are glad it was recognized at this level,” she said.
The proudly excited Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, congratulated the team and assured them of the university’s full backing to commercialize the product. He praised the innovation’s potential to boost agriculture and rural livelihoods across Africa.
Supporting the Vice-Chancellor’s remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Ahmed Doko Ibrahim, suggested institutionalizing TeamABU2024 as a club, to ensure continuity and inspire future innovators within the university.
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The victory which was celebrated by the university community, was highlighted by the triumphant team holding the Nigerian flag on stage, symbolizing national pride and the global recognition of Nigerian academic excellence. The win marks a historic achievement for ABU and highlights its rising influence in global technology innovation. TeamABU2024 had earlier won the national and regional stages of the competition, earning their place in the global finals.
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