By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A new initiative targeted at young innovators in universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria has been introduced by HabariPay’s Squad in line with its mission to empower businesses and young innovators across Africa.
The contest, known as Take on Squad Hackathon, is a social coding event scheduled to be held on January 19 and 20, 2023, at the GTCO Training Complex at Tayo’s Plaza in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Registration is still ongoing, with interested teams of not more than four members welcome to apply at https://squadco.com/hackathon/.
The initiative is designed to impact young Nigerians positively by providing a platform to equip aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators with transformative technological capabilities, enabling them to collaboratively develop practical, innovative tech solutions and refine their coding skills.
The participating teams will create innovative solutions to problems within their immediate community as well as the wider society. They will also have the exclusive opportunity to leverage Squad’s cutting-edge APIs in executing their ideas.
The two-day event promises to be action-packed, featuring intense coding sessions on day one followed by product demos, panel discussions, and the announcement of winners on day two.
The team with the most innovative idea will be awarded N2.5 million, the first runner-up will get N1.5 million, and the third-placed team will get N1 million.
Additionally, the top 3 teams will have the unique opportunity to join the Squad Hackademy, where they will receive mentorship and access internships and job opportunities facilitated by Squad, the organisers said.
“We strongly believe in the power of young minds to drive positive change in the society. This is reflected in our approach to providing simple, innovative solutions to everyday problems faced by small and mid-sized businesses across Africa with Squad.
“The Take on Squad Hackathon is the first of many initiatives to offer young, enterprising students a platform to engage meaningfully with technology and showcase their creativity and problem-solving abilities,” the Managing Director of HabariPay Limited, Eduofon Japhet, said.
Adedapo Adesanya