Tanzanian students to represent country in key India-Africa meeting
A TOTAL of 19 Tanzanian higher education students will represent the country at the UNESCO INDIA – AFRICA Hackathon to take place from today to Friday.
The annual event brings together students, educators, teachers, and the research community of India and its African partners to tackle the common challenges faced by their countries and serves as a facilitator for cultural amalgamation.
The main objectives of the hackathon include exploring new technologies or skills, creating potential, driving business innovation, sourcing incubation programs, creating potential start-ups, branding, creating solutions for social causes and analyzing data to make predictions.
The Tanzanian students, who departed at the weekend, will be among 600 students from over 20 countries.
The event will be held at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
10 out of the total 19 are from the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), and the remaining nine from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST).
Statement issued by the DIT’s Principle Public Relations Officer Amani Kakana, said the team will be led by Dr Gaudence Tesha from the DIT and Dr Alexander Mtawa from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
He named DIT students as George Mkwele, Steven Ngalarije, David Mabula, Mercy Mtae, Rosemary Kapugi, Elizabeth Kadomole, Louis Ngatale, Jackson Mihayo, Ignas Bangi and Neema Kisanga from the DIT-Computer Studies Department.
“All the participants will be given problem statements picked from emerging themes of social relevance and they will build feasible digital/physical prototypes as solution to those problem statements,” the statement reads.
The hackathon will help participants implement their academic skills in practical problem solving with more confidence, motivation and clearer concepts along with development of better analytical skills.
It will also help in developing their cognitive skills, emotional stability, creativity and design thinking’’ he added
Similarly, this platform will provide a suitable podium allowing young innovators to come together and find solutions for social, environmental and technical problems faced by the collaborating nations.
It serves as the foundation for creating potential start-ups with the potential to transform the world. It allows the participating students to unleash their creativity and explore new technologies to solve real-world problems under the guidance of experts – thus, spearheading business innovation in the modern world.
The Hackathon also serves as a symbol of the close relation cherished by India and its African counterparts and embodies the spirit of collaboration – bringing them together to solve problems for the betterment of humankind.
Participating countries will not be competing against each other but will collaborate in finding solutions to their problem statements.
