Facebook, WordPress to sponsor West-African hackathon

Facebook’s Internet.org and WordPress are set to sponsor a major Ghanaian hackathon aimed at come up with solutions to some of West Africa’s biggest social issues.

The hackathon, which is also supported by the US government, is being organised by the Silicon Valley based non-profit Hack For Big Choices and will take place on 20-22 February in Accra, Ghana’s capital and largest city.

The ultimate aim of the event is to leverage the strength of everyday people to connect and solve for the everyday problems specific to their communities.

“We believe this is deeply necessary because Africa’s population will grow more rapidly”, says Hack for Big Choices founder and CEO Aurora Chiste, “further constraining efforts to address poverty, create jobs, and protect the environment. We envision a landscape where African citizens source and adopt the best technologies to address local needs, become emerging entrepreneurs and create impactful innovation.”

Among the attendees at the hackathon will be professors from local universities, and representatives from the US embassy, Facebook, and WordPress, serving as resources for local developers.

The idea, apparently, is that local business leaders, teachers, representatives from global corporations, politicians, and mentors who are recruited to be in attendance will assist participants in fostering and developing their ideas. The result, the organisers hope, is that new innovative entrepreneurial projects and businesses have opportunity to attract investment and support. Participants are also reportedly encouraged to “develop sustainable approaches that have real potential to solve keys issues”.

The event organisers believe that the youthful population in both West Africa and Africa as a whole means that the continent’s future depends on the culture and infrastructure that can be built today with technology and tools that enable innovation. “It’s fundamental not only to create a strong entrepreneurial culture but also create sustainable solutions, and West Africa is the perfect place to start,” they say.

The winners of the hackathon will receive a year’s residency at Ghanaian startup accelerator Hub Accra.

“Now is the time to collaborate with African change makers to create solutions to local and pan-African challenges through teamwork and technology,” says Hub Accra co-founder John-Paul Parmigiani. “At Hub Accra we want to encourage entrepreneurs to spark truly impactful innovations that can better serve their communities in a sustainable way.”

Correction: We previously stated that the hackathon was to take place on 14 February, but this has however been amended to the correct dates, 20-22 February.