GEORGETOWN – The Ministry of Public Telecommunications announced the launch of its 2020 Hackathon which will be held from March 13 to 15, partnering with the Guyana Geology Mines Commission (GGMC) to host the event.
During Wednesday’s launch at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison said that the competition served as a mechanism to find solutions for issues in the sectors.
“The Guyana Geology Mines Commission and by extension the Ministry of Natural Resources fully supports this hackathon. We see it as just an entry point to what this kind of activity can offer … we will have solutions that are tested and proven successful,” he stated.
Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes noted her ministry’s continuous efforts to boost Guyana’s technological capacity.
“I’m proud to say that one of the reasons we do [hackathons] is to provide an excellent opportunity for all software developers and everyone involved in the ICT industry to have an opportunity to work on providing solutions to challenges.”
The minister noted that the Hackathon had proven its usefulness since an Agriculture Commodities Exchange app was created when the Innovative Systems company triumphed at the inaugural event in 2017. The app is currently being tested.
“We realised farmers needed the opportunity to be contacted by potential buyers in a very simple way and this rewarding application came out of a hackathon,” Hughes said.
She said she wanted to see more women involved in the competition, pointing out reports indicated 70 per cent of the jobs worldwide would require some ICT-related knowledge by 2025.
“[Therefore] We want Guyanese to not only be the users of technology, but we want them as the developers also,” she pointed out.
Teams comprising two to five persons, including one female and one student, ideally from the University of Guyana, are welcome to enter the competition.
Hughes noted that these stipulations provided the opportunity for women and young adults to succeed in the ICT arena.
The winners will receive a contract to complete the app for the GGMC, and the second and third place winners will receive GUY $300 000 and $200 000 respectively.
A hackathon is a software developer, design and entrepreneur competition for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enthusiasts. (DPI)
