The biggest annual hackathon in West Africa is back again with a twist!
Between the 9th – 11th of April 2020, the Hacklab Foundation will host the 5th edition of its flagship hackathon online.
Even in the face of Covid-19 concern, the online event will begin as usual with a series of panel discussions on the theme for the year; “Leveraging artificial intelligence to drive digital transformation in Africa”.
During this session, industry experts and stakeholders discuss matters concerning the theme.
There will also be workshops and coaching sessions preceding the Hackathon itself.
The three-day programme will be climaxed by an awards ceremony where the best ideas are awarded cash prizes and internship opportunities to build on their idea.
The goals of Hacklab are:
* To breed a competitive environment for innovation and creativity among the youth.
Build a repository of knowledge, resources, and opportunities for our IT professionals community and technology entrepreneurs e.g. startup ecosystem, funding opportunities, job opportunities, educational resources, case studies, access to sandboxes to facilitate innovation and prototyping, etc.
* Drive inclusion and bridge the digital skills divide in STEM Education and digital skills development.
* Promote a democratic agenda in development through partnerships and forums.
Head of Brands & Communication at Hacklab Foundation, Samuel Abeiku Dadson revealed that plans are far advanced to expand the hackathon to other African countries.
“We have had requests over the years to take the Hackathon to other countries. We are happy to announce that, hopefully, this year, we will launch in 3 other countries, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia,” he said
Mr Dadson touted the achievement of the foundation within its few years in existence.
According to him, “In our short stay in the tech space in the past 5 years, we have been able to build the largest community of developers in Ghana. Through our annual Hackathon, we have been able to impact over 10,000 individuals. We are currently on our way to reach 100,000 people with our Digital Skills Training Program in partnership with IBM”.
How to register for Hacklab?
Participants will be required to sign up for the hackathon in teams of between two (2) - four (4). Participants are required to be 18 years and above. Should a participant be below 18 years, they will require parental/guardian consent to participate.
Participants can only register to join the event using the Hacklab Connect App. This is the community management tool that facilitates tracking all participant needs and information relay during the event. It also serves as a platform for sharing opportunities and keeping the community engaged.
Hacklab Connect is available on Google Playstore, Apple Appstore, and web
About Hacklab Foundation
The Hacklab Foundation is an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Ghana with a focus on preparing the youth for future digital jobs through technology education and skills development. We achieve this through boot camps, hackathons, mentorship and coaching, internships, digital skills training, and job placement. Our footprints currently span across Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and India.
Since its inception in 2015, it has directly impacted over 10,000 people, organized hackathons, robotics, and coding boot camps for kids between the ages of 7yrs - 13yrs supported 500+ women in tech, 300+ youth were placed in jobs and 250+ youth were placed in internships.
Through their partnership with IBM, the Ghana National Digital Skills Training Program was launched in November 2018, to reach 100,000 people by 2021.
Hacklab Foundation believes that creating an equal platform for everyone, irrespective of race, gender, social class, and physical limitations will allow for a fair chance to compete for the same opportunity. This has been at the core of their initiatives.
The Foundation is known for its annual Hacklab Hackathon hosted in Ghana which brings together 1000+ participants including developers, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, development partners, and other stakeholders in technology to meet and discuss critical issues impacting the Global South, identify opportunities and develop tech-enabled solutions for emerging economies.
With over 800+ developers at one venue, they compete and develop industry-standard solutions to address identified challenges in 36 hours with support from industry professionals and seasoned experts