The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) was setup by the Federal Government to foster widespread access to ICTs within the country. In partnership with the iDEA Hub Lagos, the USPF is organising a 3-day hackathon.
Why yet another hackathon?
According to a study conducted by the USPF, over 36.8 million Nigerians in 207 areas currently have no access to mobile coverage. This means if they get sick they can't call an ambulance and can't use the Internet to learn new things or move money. In a bid to solve this problem, the organisation is organising the 3-day hackathon. The idea is to bring together some of the smartest people in the country to build innovative hardware, software and Business Models that will give these areas access to mobile coverage.
Who can participate?
The USPF hackathon is open to software developers, data scientists, UX designers, ICT experts, engineers, strategists, public policy experts and students.
Details for the hackathon are as follows:
Date: Friday, September 18th – Sunday, September 20th, 2015
Venue: iDEA Nigeria – 296 Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. Lagos, Nigeria
Time: 4pm
What's in it for me?
By the end of the hackathon, teams are expected to submit working prototypes that are relevant to various economic sectors, especially, education, health, agriculture, entertainment and infrastructure.
Three teams with the most outstanding solutions stand a chance to win incubation at the iDEA Hub. They will also win cash prizes ranging from N500,000, for the 2nd runner-up, to N1m for the first prize winning team.
If the prospects excite you, go ahead and visit uspfhackathon.org to register and download guidelines for participation. You do not need to submit an idea to participate in the Hackathon however you are free to do so if so inclined. After registration, you will receive an email confirming your participation. For further enquiries, email info@uspfhackathon.org.
