THE Ministry of Public Telecommunications (MoPT), in collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), on Wednesday announced its first collaborative hackathon. The hackathon, which will be held from March 15-18, 2020, comes as a way to advance the use of technology in the mining sector.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, said that technology holds the solution to many issues in society, including the mining sector. The hackathon, she added, will be used to devise ways to implement solutions to issues the sector faces. Further, Minister Hughes said that one of the major aims of the MoPT is that Guyanese be not only users of the technology, but be the developers also.

“Our mining industry is a key sector and the thing about the hackathon too is that any of the problems faced we know exists in a range of different sectors; so we’re going into a new and exciting time in our mining sector and we know that we can find technological solutions to some of the challenges that they have. We want to ensure that we continue to make sure that this sector is managed in a sustainable way that ensures that our mineral resources and our environment are protected for generations to come.”

She explained that by the year 2025, it is estimated that every job would rely heavily on technology to create and apply solutions to issues. Further, Minister Hughes stated that the hackathon like the previous ones hosted by the ministry will address a specific issue and will seek to offer solutions to that issue. She stated that the previous hackathons which focused on the agricultural sector is still currently being tested by farmers and purchasers before the application is market-ready.

She stated that the MoPT is excited to have collaboration with the GGMC to bring technology that would advance the mining sector.

Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison, stated that he sees the collaboration and the solutions that would be derived from the hackathon as a tool that the GGMC can use to not just better the way it conducts operations, but also how it deals with issues that may arise.
“We see this activity as an opportunity to bring a blend of advancing our own interest with developmental of youth and what they have to bring to the table, to see how we can solve and bring solutions to our own issues without restrictions,” said Dennison.

Further, he said that there is still a lot of room for the GGMC to develop a mode of work to deal with information management. Embracing the ICT sector, he said, would enable the mining industry to function much more effectively and efficiently.

The MoPT stated that for this hackathon the rules of entry have been adjusted: each team is now required to have at least one female member and one member who is a current university student. Teams that wish to participate in the hackathon can complete their application forms at: https://mopt.gov.gy/