Africa Innovate Hackathon 2021: Creating Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development in Africa.
Africa Innovate 2021 was a collaborative online conference-hackathon between Learning Connected and The Africa Centre. It successfully brought together students and professionals across Africa and the UK to compete in a hackathon for sustainable development in Africa from 21–23 July 2021.
We are proud to introduce you to our hackathon winners and participants.
First Place
InfinityLightHouse, Nigeria
An on-demand renewable energy-based power supply for users to keep their portable electronic devices charged.
Second Place
iPop, International
An Augmented Reality mobile app tailored to create a visual version of the curriculum by projecting 3D models of objects in one’s real environment.
Third Place
Health360, Ghana
A web/mobile app platform that offers users accessibility to online medical care and health tips.
Participants
Genesis, Ghana
A safe online system that matches sponsors with underserved schools in Ghana.
Black coders, Ethiopia
An online symptom checker app that generates probable diagnoses and treatment strategies in Africa.
Witty, International
A multilingual app for the African continent that provides guidelines on waste reduction, segregation, collection and disposal best practices.
To the Stars, South Africa
A platform for people to improve their farming skills by learning with a system to guide them using simple visuals.
Edu.quotes, Egypt
A mobile app that sends university students course-specific questions via messages to maximise student engagement and helps them to succeed.
Red Alert, Kenya
A mobile app that provides farmers with real-time remote alerts to reduce post-harvest loss and makes meals safer.
Participants’ Experiences
Dorothy Orina from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Kenya shared, “We had to work with people in different locations and coordinating that is not the easiest thing, so it was a great learning experience!”
“The hackathon gave me the opportunity to appreciate different perspectives on needed solutions for Africa from experts who are already walking the talk. I got the opportunity to lead my team and connect with great mentors with wonderful perspectives, and that has also been a great experience. I was able to lead a team to develop, pitch and convince the judges to win third place. The belief of being able to make a difference on the continent has been rekindled,” said Edwin Sakyi Kyei-Baffour, MPhil Student from the University of Ghana.
What Next?
Prizes include mentoring sessions with Tongayi Choto, Co-founder and CEO of AfriBlocks as well as with Takunda Chingonzo, Founder of The Village Innovation Network. Learning Connected will support the winners in taking their ideas forward and will link all participants with local innovation hubs.
