On February 6, 2025, Oracle Academy welcomed 30 students from European Institute of Technology (EPITECH) Benin to the Oracle Lagos office for an immersive hackathon as part of the students’ study tour. This initiative underscored Oracle Academy’s commitment to fostering students’ innovation and digital skills development.

During the hackathon event, students were grouped into five teams, each tasked with presenting innovative tech solutions to address real-world challenges. The hackathon encouraged participants to apply their programming skills, creativity, and teamwork to build functional prototypes within the limited timeframe.

The five teams and their solutions are listed below:

  • PROJECT AREA: An application through which users can automate tasks across multiple services (e.g., sending emails, triggering notifications).
  • PROJECT GLADIOS: This project involved building a compiler for the Kaleidoscope language in Haskel. These concepts help manage side effects and structure code more effectively.
  • PROJECT R-TYPE: A multiplayer game development project inspired by the class R-Type arcade shooter with a focus on designing both client-server architecture and real-time synchronization.
  • PROJECT DEV OPS: This project is designed to help handle complex deployments and ensure operational efficiency using advanced DevOps practices.
  • PROJECT CHISEL: This project is focused on developing advanced expertise in web security through a hands-on approach using boot2root challenges which can be used to prevent attacks, detect and block malicious practices, etc.

To enhance the learning experience, Jeffry Amachree, Oracle Principal Technology Architect; Olagoke Orija, Oracle Principal Solution Engineer; and Bekere Amassoma, Oracle Academy Program Manager, served as guest judges, providing constructive feedback and expert insights on each project. Their guidance helped students understand industry expectations, best practices, and areas for improvement.

The EPITECH Benin Hackathon provided a valuable learning experience, equipping participants with practical knowledge of software development, cloud computing, and AI applications. Beyond technical skills, the event reinforced collaboration, adaptability, and innovative thinking—key attributes for success in the evolving tech landscape.

Lauretta Ejionu, EPITECH Benin’s English Program Manager, said, “The students left the session feeling empowered, and we are all excited about the potential for future collaborations with Oracle. The experience was invaluable for them, and the feedback provided during their project presentations was not only insightful but also incredibly motivating.”

The EPITECH Benin Hackathon is a testament to the power of technology education in empowering the next generation. As Oracle Academy looks forward to more collaborative initiatives, the impact of such experiences will continue to drive digital transformation and inspire young innovators.

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