– Hackathon 2019 kicks off!

CHANGING the lives of Guyanese in the 21st century using digital solutions continues to be on the forefront as the Ministry of Public Telecommunications hosts its 3rd Hackathon.

Hackathon 2019 will see four teams in a gruelling software development battle to create programmes to report crime with an emphasis on domestic violence.

This is of particular relevance during the November 25 to December 10 period, designated as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

A collaborative effort between the Ministry, the ICT Access and E-Services Project as well as the United Nations Development Programme, the outcome of the 3-day event will be implemented to create real solutions in Guyana.
Minister of Public Telecommunications, the Honourable Catherine Hughes, explained that her Ministry will continually support innovators and shapers of development in Guyana.
“We have the responsibility to provide the platform that will deliver a high level of service and this is even more necessary as we move Guyana towards creating a digital state,” she said.

The Ministry continues to focus on the development of an ICT-ready workforce through initiatives which can create solutions to national issues and, by extension, create employment opportunities.

UNDP Representative Jairo Valverde Bermudez said that Hackathon presents a unique opportunity for the development of several sectors.

“Today’s hackathon is intended to provide digital solutions in areas of sustainable livelihood, e-learning and security. We look forward to working with the winners of the innovation challenge and we wish you luck, who would be granted with the opportunity to scale up their prototype and to provide not only effective solutions to affect national priorities, but also to demonstrate to stakeholders and public institutions the potential impact of using ICT to deliver public services,” he remarked.

As the government continues to enhance Guyana’s technological capacity and infrastructure, the Ministry will continue to do its part to foster the use of ICT as a tool for national development, creativity, innovation.

Themed “Hack for a digital solution” this year’s Hackathon runs from November 29 to December 1, 2019, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

The teams competing in this year’s Hackathon are Innosys, lead by team leader Mohammed Khan; Intellectstorm, headed by Davendra Naraine; Berbice-based group – Skill Share-tech, lead by Shahad Husain and Logiq, lead by Julius Simon. (DPI)