Zain’s Africa best young brains battle hits national tv

• As UI, UNILAG, ABTU, UNN, FUTA, fly Nigeria flag
• Zain dangles $1,000,000 in prizes, travel grants and educational materials

Lagos, Nigeria; March 30, 2009: Beginning from today Nigerians will have the opportunity to watch on National Television their Universities test their academic prowess against the best Universities from across several African countries in an International inter-varsity battle of brains.

The battle of wits which features the brightest University students from across Africa is a Television based Quiz Show sponsored by the leading mobile operator in the Middle East and Africa, Zain, under its education promotion or Social Investment banner, Zain Africa Challenge

The Show which is the first ever televised pan African educational contest amongst University students will be broadcast every Tuesday (7.30pm-8.00pm or 20.30 -21.00 GMT) and Thursday (5.30-6.00pm or 18.30 -19.00 GMT) on Africa Independent Television (AIT) and DSTV Channel 132.

Nigeria’s hope of climbing to the top spot of the academic ladder in Africa and winning the whopping over $1,000,000 (over million US Dollars) in cash prizes, travel grants and educational materials is hinged on five Universities according to Zain Nigeria’s spokesman, Emeka Oparah.

The Universities include the country’s Premier Universities, the University of Ibadan (UI) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as well as the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos (UNILAG) and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (ATBU).

UI, UNN, FUTA and ATBU emerged top at the National Zain Africa Challenge Qualifier Championship held in the country’s capital city, Abuja, beating 16 other Universities. The University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos which also participated in the National Qualifier won a wild card to complete Nigeria’s slots at the International Championship Festival.

These Nigerian Institutions have now joined Universities from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia in Kampala, Uganda for the International Championship Festival which pitches 32 leading Universities against each other.

The Academic Quiz Game covers a wide range of subjects including: history, Science, African Culture, Geography, Literature, Music and Current events.

Explaining the mechanics of the game show, Oparah said: “Zain Africa Challenge is a fast-paced academic knockout quiz Show involves three students on each of two teams competing over four rounds. During each of the first three rounds, one student from each of the two teams compete head-to-head, playing face-off questions. The players rotate between rounds so that each of the three players gets an opportunity to compete in one face-off round.

When a player correctly answers a 10 point face-off question, his team gets an opportunity to answer a 20 point bonus question collectively. Each face-off round is approximately 4 minutes in length (3 minutes in the Computerized version and at the Qualifying Tournaments). At the end of the third round both teams enters the Ultimate Challenge Round where they attempt to answer 10 questions in 60 seconds with each correct answer giving the team 50 points.

"This programme is not just about providing brilliant young people an opportunity to showcase their academic prowess and build a lifelong relationship with people across the continent Oparah said.

Zain Africa Challenge is part of the mobile operator’s Corporate Social Investment of Corporate Social Responsibility programmes designed to help Nigerians see, experience and appreciate its philosophy of “a Wonderful World”.

To be eligible for selection, a University must be Government chartered or accredited, be in 3rd year of intake (or later), and should have at least 250 enrolled students.