On 15-16 July 2013, a preparatory meeting was held in Kigali for the Hackathon that will take place during the ICT4Ag conference in November.
Participants from East African countries came from the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT), the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, ICT hubs, agricultural development organisations, and included representatives of NEPAD, COMESA, and AGRA. The meeting centered around the role of hackathons in ICT applications in East Africa.
A number of possible challenges were considered during the meeting. These included communication between extension services and farmers, available weather data, market price information, production forecasting, access to finance, and distribution of agricultural contributions. The challenges facing the hackathon competitors will be disclosed at a later date. Furthermore, the meeting brought to light strong support for a national hackathon to be developed in Rwanda. AGRA and UNDP also expressed an interest in being involved in the hackathon.
Those attending the meeting concluded that the proposed event is more than a traditional hackathon but is rather an incubator for innovation. Business and software product development and a long term process in the field of ICTs will be an important focus. Fostering partnerships between ICT hubs, CTA, different ministries and other stakeholders are essential. Kigali offers the conference a great opportunity to foster support from the Rwandan Government.
Regional competitions will determine who goes to the Rwandan hackathon. Different ICT hubs will organise their own national hackathons or similar events that focus on the challenges chosen in the preparatory meeting. Two representatives from the winning national team will attend the ICT4Ag conference from 4-8 November 2013, where their products will be publicly tested by invited users while the teams prepare their pitches. The pitches will be presented to the judges who will award three prizes to the best proposals, which must pair a strong business plan with technical excellence. Each prize also includes a grant for the supporting Hub that will allow them to continue supporting the winners for six more months. Intellectual Property rights for the solutions developed will remain with the teams.
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