IBM, a global technology company has reiterated its commitment to the development and promotion of local software innovation across Africa with the launch of its pan-African hackathon series.
Hackathons, IBM said, are software programs or projects which seek to create a virtual environment where society’s problems and solutions are simulated and incubated for future development.
To this end, the technology firm organised a four-day technology training and ideas incubation programme in Lagos codenamed ‘The IBM “Lasgidi” Hackathon’ for young technology and computing practitioners, software developers, engineering and computer science students.
The IBM “Lasgidi Hackathon” is desisgned to enable and encourage students to build applications that run on mobile devices, compete for innovation grants, and develop new skills.
The talent and capacity building programme, partnered by the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology, the Lagos State Ministry of Science & Technology, University of Lagos, Airtel, CBC Limited, Wecyclers, Coder4Africa, CcHUB, Smart Campus, ICT Brokers, Quality Certain and other academic and non-academic institutions in Nigeria, was attended by about 90 individuals, mostly budding software scientists and students from tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Participants at the hackathon focused on developing applications for mobile payments and smarter government solutions.
The program’s coding competition also introduced students to IBM’s latest leading technology tools and frameworks to help build smarter and faster software solutions.
Commenting on the series, IBM’s West Africa Leader for Developer Relations, Independent Software Vendors, Startups & Academic Initiatives, Adeola Allison said the focus on mobile payments and smarter government solutions is a “deliberate attempt to make a positive impact and contribution to the innovation agenda of Business and Government in Nigeria.”
At the “Lasgidi Hackathon’, Mr. Taiwo Otiti, country general manager, IBM West Africa advised participants to “get hungry for technology information and always be eager to soak in as much knowledge as they can.”
According to Otiti, “Talent has never been more important as it is today in the technology sector. Innovation and talent are at the core of the IT revolution with the potential for positive impact on individuals, communities, countries and the world.”
“This ‘IT Impact’ has been due to the evolution of organisational behaviour and the growing role that organizations like IBM play in ensuring that many of society’s challenges and problems do not go unaddressed or unresolved. Promoting talent in the field of Science & Technology has therefore become a way of life at IBM,” he added.
According to IBM, a similar programme will be convened in East and Southern Africa in the months ahead.