Microsoft Nigeria launches Agro-Tech Hackathon For Nigerian Youths
TECHDIGEST – In keeping to their promise to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, Microsoft Nigeria has launched the Agro-Tech Hackathon NG for Nigerian young entrepreneurs.
The initiative which is targeted at providing homegrown scalable platforms by Nigerian youths for Nigerian farmers and consumers to access farm produce will also help to improve digital value chain process and reduce agricultural wastes and losses.
Also reacting to the initiative, the Technical and Operations Lead of TedPrime Hub, Mr. Adeeko Olalekan, expressed his delight in the partnership drive around this project and lauded Microsoft’s digital investments towards providing Nigerian youths the platform to invent local solutions in the oldest sector in the planet—agriculture.
“This project is coming at the time the nation’s economic diversification is now a top priority for governments and all facets of governance and to a larger extent, provide economic opportunities for all stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural sector and we are pleased to be part of history of socio-economic transformation of Nigeria through Microsoft Agro-Tech Hackathon” said Olalekan.
The goal of the hackathon is to develop a repository of innovative and inclusive solutions to the myriad of challenges in the agricultural sector. These solutions in the long run will empower farmers economically and improve the profitability of their agri-business by facilitating easier and faster consumer access to farm produce and reduce wastage of perishable farm items.
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The competition, which kicks off 28th March 2022, is open to Nigerians between the ages of 18 to 45. Applicants must be from any of the 6 geopolitical zones of the country and must have demonstrated interest/experience in technology, agriculture and/or entrepreneurship. Applicants shortlisted in the first phase of the application will be paired to form teams during the Hackathon stage. Each team will undergo a 4-week mentorship, where they will be mentored by world-class agro-specialists, entrepreneurs, and training teams from Microsoft.
READ ALSO : Microsoft, Tech4Dev, Train 18,000 Nigerians Youth On Digital Skills
At the end of the competition, three teams with the most outstanding solutions will be selected for funding and technical support by Microsoft and its partners. Consolation prizes will also be given to the top 20 finalists of the hackathon. Top winning teams would share a sum of 5 Million Naira with other consolation prizes and recognitions by Microsoft and partners for other finalists.
For more information, application, enquiry and sponsorship, applicant should visit www.agrotech.ng or send an e-mail to [email protected]
Noteworthy is the fact that TedPrime Hub, the execution partner for this project, is also a pitch site partner to the University of Delaware in the United States of America on the Diamond Entrepreneurship Challenge.
In 2019, the organization received an award as the Best Edtech Organization by Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. and was also named as one of the top 50 Innovative Organizations in Africa by the African Union.
