As countries grapple with the realities of the new normal, MTN Nigeria has initiated a call for entries for its mPulse hackathon, themed “Beyond COVID-19.” The project aims at encouraging young innovators in primary and secondary schools who can navigate the barriers of remote engagement to create solutions that can mitigate various challenges imposed by COVID-19.
Chief Transformation Officer, MTN Nigeria, Bayo Adekanmbi, emphasised the need for an evolving educational platform to train young Nigerians. “We’re all figuring out lifehacks to help us cope with the new normal resulting from the pandemic. But for members of Gen Z, given the peculiarity of their exposure to technology, they are uniquely equipped to profer solutions to the challenges imposed by COVID.
This unique virtual hackathon is designed to engage young inventors stimulating the development of home-grown-technological innovation, to effectively deal with the challenges of COVID-19. We look forward to seeing several incredible solutions put forward, and working with the finalist to develop them further,” he said.
Entries to the MTN mPulse Hackathon close on December 6, 2020. The top ten innovators will be selected to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges at a live Hackathon on December 19 where the top three winning solutions will be chosen. The ten finalists will proceed to an exclusive MTN GAP Bootcamp in collaboration with TechQuest STEM Academy where their solutions will be refined for optimal impact.
This STEM programme is designed to spot bright young innovators across the country. Finalists will receive cash, prizes and funding support to launch their solutions on the market with a total value of over 10 million naira.
