A number of software developers, computer programmers, graphic designers and other technological savvy minds of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development will be afforded an opportunity to showcase their skills at an exciting Hackathon competition.
Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes, along with other members at the press briefing on Wednesday
The competition is a collaborative initiative between the Public Telecommunications Ministry and Guyana Telephone Telegraph company. The competition is slated to begin on November 4 and will be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
At a press briefing at Colgrain House, Camp Street, Georgetown on Wednesday, Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes stated that the ICT marathon is to encourage both novices and experts to work together to create new programmes and applications.
Hughes continued to say that the Hackathon was conceived to achieve solutions for positive developments in the ICT world.
Minister Hughes stated that the objective of the programme is to encourage young people who have technological skills to create specific programmes that will bring tele-medicine, e-health, and training aids for e-learning.
The ICT marathon is expected to establish new businesses, create linkages in and out of Guyana and ultimately contribute to the drive to digitise the nation. In addition, the ICT drive is expected to create more avenues for new employment.
“There are very few limits to what can be achieved when groups of people, especially small groups, turn their minds in the same direction and create fantastic things… perhaps to write flexible computer programmes, or find ways to improve existing services, public and otherwise,” the Minister said.
Participants in the Hackathon competition will be given first, second and third place prizes of $300,000, $200,000 and $150,000 respectively.
The term ‘Hackathon’, also known as a Hackfest or a Codefest, was first used around 1999 to describe a Cryptographic Development event that was held in Calgary, Canada. Since then, many privately owned companies and Government-run agencies all over the world have been staging at least three Hackathons per year. Their purpose, like ours, is to advance the speed of business and national development.
