Consider It Solved
– MOPT and GGMC partner for Hackathon 2020
– “We want Guyanese to be the developers of technology” – Min. Hughes
DPI, Wednesday, February 26, 2020
The Ministry of Public Telecommunications has announced the launch of its 2020 Hackathon which will be held from March 13 – 15.
This year the ministry is 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 remarked that the competition serves 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 Hon. 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,” Minister Hughes said.
Meanwhile, in expressing the desire to see more women involved in the competition, the minister said reports point to 70 percent of the jobs worldwide requiring 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 with mandatory expectations that there is one female participant, and one student, ideally from the University of Guyana, are welcome to enter the competition.
Minister Hughes noted that these stipulations provide 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 $300,000 and $200,000 respectively.
Starting today, interested teams can register on the ministry’s website, www.mopt.gov.gy.
Note: A hackathon is a software developer, design and entrepreneur competition for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enthusiasts.