Christian Chijoke Nwanko, a Computer Science graduate of the University of Abuja and current National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has emerged winner of the agency’s Innovation Challenge 1.0.
The competition, held over the weekend at NITDA headquarters in Abuja, was themed “Idea to Impact.” It was introduced to inspire creativity and problem-solving among the agency’s staff, interns, and corps members, while providing a platform to showcase technology-driven solutions to real-life challenges.
Nwanko led Team X to develop COPA (Corpers Opportunity Placement App) — a smart digital platform designed to optimize the impact of the one-year compulsory NYSC programme.
“Our solution is a digital platform built to maximize the impact of the NYSC scheme. Every year, about 400,000 graduates are mobilized, but this vast pool of human resources is often underutilized because corps members are not always matched with roles that align with their skills,” Nwanko explained.
He encouraged other young innovators to pursue their ideas fearlessly.
“Often, dreams may not appear clear; they can seem blurry or come disguised as challenges. You must face and solve these challenges — that’s how you become useful to society,” he said.
Before joining NITDA, Nwanko distinguished himself as a student at the University of Abuja, where he participated in the Students’ Work Scheme between 2022 and 2023. He later served as a Graduate Trainee with CSEM between 2024 and 2025 before commencing his NYSC programme this year.
