Forvis Mazars, a leading professional services network, recently hosted its inaugural hackathon, aimed at empowering tech talents to address challenges through technology. The event, which reflects the company’s commitment to community empowerment and fostering innovation, brought together students, professionals, and tech enthusiasts to generate impactful solutions.

Adams Osamudiame, Partner at Forvis Mazars, highlighted the hackathon’s alignment with the organization’s goal to leverage ideas and resources to empower people and communities. He stressed the importance of ensuring the ideas generated from the event go beyond the competition, with plans to develop them into market-ready products that could benefit the broader community.

The top prize of $1,000 went to Team Genie, consisting of Sodiq Bolawale, Aishah Abdulwaheed, and Babatunde Mumuni. Their AI-driven chatbot, designed to simplify the auditing process, received high praise for its potential to transform Nigerian audit firms through streamlined data retrieval and reduced audit time.

Despite tight deadlines and diverse academic backgrounds, Team Genie overcame challenges through effective collaboration and credited their mentors for their guidance.

In addition to the winners, Team Smart Audit earned $600 for securing second place with a solution that automates financial document analysis. The team, led by Chidi-Akoma Chikamso, Chibukem Chiagoziem Anyanwu, and Ejelonu Benedict, also navigated technical hurdles to create a solution that promises to improve audit efficiency.

Team Kainos, who also scored 71.34 percent, earned $400 for their innovative contributions.

Dr. Seun Ebiesuwa, Head of the Computer Science Department at Babcock University, who served as one of the judges, noted that auditing in Nigeria has long been a cumbersome and opaque process. He commended the teams for developing solutions with the potential to revolutionize the field, making it more transparent and efficient.

Dr. Ebiesuwa emphasized the need for continuous innovation to address evolving challenges and encouraged future participants to identify real-world problems early and prepare diligently. He further praised Forvis Mazars for setting a strong precedent for future events, showcasing the potential of Nigerian talent in solving pressing challenges through technology.