As part of its efforts to promote innovation hubs across the country and kit young people with software and entrepreneurship skills, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Plateau State Government will be supporting the second edition of HackJos.
HackJos is an annual software/ hackathon competition holding in Jos, Plateau State from the 1st of November to 4th of November 2016.
Apart from the Plateau State Government and NITDA, HackJos is also supported by new frontier technology companies and innovation hubs including Hotels.ng, Smartweb, and Konga, Enspire Incubator, iDEA Hub, Gigalayer, Andela, and the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) among others.
As earlier mentioned, the four day software development marathon will feature a one day conference with the theme: “How ready is Nigeria for the internet of things (IoT)”.
Speaking on the event, Dr Vincent Olatunji the Acting Director General of the NITDA said
“We are glad to be supporting HackJos and believe Nigeria’s future rests on the resourcefulness of its young people. As part of our mandate to promote software skills and build indigenous capacity in IT, we consider HackJos a strategic window to build confidence in young people, identify with their budding skill set and provide them with the required impetus to thrive.”
About 30 teams consisting of a minimum of three developers/ ‘hackathoners’ 10 judges, 10 tech support team and over 300 live audience and spectators will be housed for four days in a marathon of wit, entrepreneurship and mental fitness to develop apps-solutions under the framework of Nigeria’s readiness for IoT and sector-by- sector challenges in Nigeria’s economic space.
Confirmed speakers include
- Dr. Vincent Olatunji ‘Playing in the New (Digital) Economy: Nigerian Youth, the NITDA and National IT Aspiration’
- Mark Essien CEO, Hotels.ng ‘Nurturing Startups to Maturity – Why Some Startups Fail’
- Celestine Omin, Senior Technical Consultant at Andela ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Online Retailing in Nigeria – A Guide for Young Nigerians’
- Aboyeji Iyinoluwa, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Flutterwave ‘IOT and Entrepreneurship: What Young People Need to Know’
- Olufunbi Falaye, Center Manager, Idea Hub Lagos 'Steps to Launch problem solving startups and to generate revenue’
- Professor Adesola Aderounmu, President of NCS on ‘Playing in the New (Digital) Economy; The role of professionalism in Smart Governance’
- Alhaji Dasuki Nakande, former Communications Minister of State and CEO Unity FM ‘ICT for Unity: Youth Empowerment and Career Opportunities in Areas of Conflict Perspectives on Plateau State’
- Gossy Ukanwoke of BAU Research and Development ‘IOT and the New Face of Education.’
- Bankole Oloruntoba, Center Manager, Enspire Incubator, Abuja ‘How Technology Hubs can drive forward Nigerian Research in the IOT’
- Akin Naphtal, CEO Instinct Wave ‘Engaging the Media to Drive Young Entrepreneurs in IOT’
- Dimgba Kalu, CEO/Co-founder ProJaro 'Closing the skill gap for the Internet of Things Opportunities’
- Group Captain O.C Ubadike, Director Research and Development Center, Nigerian Air Force ‘Data Sharing and Acceptance of IOT’.
