3 Tech teens wins global recognition for AI-powered forest monitoring system Reforest AI
Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by TechTrends
At the 2025 Slingshot Challenge, three 18-year-old innovators from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, placed among the top global winners with their idea Reforest AI, a tech-driven solution that uses AI, embedded systems, and the Internet of Things to fight unlawful deforestation.
Reforest AI, a scalable platform created by Blessed Pepple, Bright Sunday, and Lesley John Jumbo, uses edge computing and smart sensors to monitor the health of forests, identify unauthorized harvesting, and encourage sustainable forestry methods.
Reforest AI tracks logging activity in forests and protected areas using geospatial data mapping, AI-based anomaly detection, and low-power embedded devices. Reforest AI gives forest rangers and policymakers early warnings and insights for quicker response and long-term monitoring by combining Internet of Things (IoT) sensors with a centralized dashboard.
The idea has received the team a Top Honors Award and a US$10,000 award from the National Geographic Society and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, organisers of the Slingshot Challenge.
“The creativity and passion we’ve seen from this year’s Slingshot Challenge participants is nothing short of inspiring,” said Deborah Grayson, the NGS chief education officer. “These young innovators are not only identifying urgent environmental issues in their own communities, but they’re also developing tangible, thoughtful solutions to address them. The Slingshot Challenge is about enabling the next generation of changemakers, and this year’s awardees give us great hope for the future of conservation.”
