In a bid to advance the Digital Nigeria 2023 agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with ISN via ONDI, has introduced the NITDA Digital Nigeria Hackathon 2023.
This hackathon, scheduled for October 24, 2023, at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, is a key part of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition. With a theme focused on “Harnessing Digital Technologies for Job Creation, Inclusive Economic Growth and Sustainability,” this event aligns with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
The NITDA Digital Nigeria Hackathon aims to foster innovation, creativity, and problem-solving to address national challenges using emerging technology. It encourages participants to contribute to building a digital Nigeria, emphasising collaboration and critical thinking in solving measurable and systematic problems.
The Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition is a flagship awareness programme in the digital economy sector. This year, under the theme “Harnessing Digital Technologies for Job Creation, Inclusive Economic Growth, and Sustainability,” the event has been rebranded to align more closely with the core objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
According to a statement from Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the agency’s head of corporate affairs and external relations, the Digital Nigeria Hackathon is a unique opportunity for participants to address national challenges by harnessing emerging technology. The focus is squarely on advancing the cause of a digital Nigeria, where creativity, collaboration and critical thinking converge to systematically tackle measurable problems.
Furthermore, the NITDA Digital Nigeria Hackathon 2023 aims to achieve the following objectives:
Promote local content development and transform ideas into products and homegrown solutions.
Leverage the talents of young Nigerians to generate innovative ideas and products that address socioeconomic challenges, fostering tech entrepreneurship to deliver solutions across various sectors in Nigeria.
Facilitate the connection of tech entrepreneurs with the appropriate public institutions right from the idea generation stage.
Promote the export of digital services to drive economic expansion.
Foster fresh thinking by uniting innovators from diverse backgrounds and sectors.
Startup founders participating in the event will have the freedom to infuse creativity into their business cases. They will be encouraged to develop unique solutions with a strong emphasis on leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, big data, virtual blockchain, quantum computing, Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies will serve as the foundation for creating well-defined ideas and prototype solutions in key areas, including e-digital literacy & inclusion, e-creative media, e-government services, e-subsidy removal/mobility and e-financial inclusion technology.
Following the hackathon, finalists will present their ideas and teams at the event, vying for the prestigious Digital Nigeria Innovation Prize. The winning team will also receive support to further develop its solution into a viable commercial venture. All participants are expected to identify pertinent problem areas and propose effective solutions to address them, aligning with the overarching vision of a Digital Nigeria.
