Winner Emerges at BBYDI CivicTech Hackathon 2022, to Get N2m
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, a Civil Society Organisation, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, BBYDI, announced on Monday the winner of the CivicTech Hackathon 2022.
The winner is Youth Let’s Talk Politics, with a score of 34.67.
It is followed by Vota with 31.47, Elect-tracker with 29.83 and Vote-Rite Nigeria with 29.00. Others are Team Revolution with 28.83, E-Monitor with 26.17 and Code-in with 23.67.
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The hackathon, sponsored by Christian Aid, aims to encourage Nigerian youths to create applications that provide solutions to issues affecting the country’s electoral system.
At the grand finale in Abuja, Abideen Olasupo, Executive Director of BBYDI, stated that the hackathon would solve Nigeria’s primary election concerns of vote buying, voter apathy, and electoral violence.
He also stated that the hackathon’s goal was to bring together young social innovators and developers between the ages of 18 and 35 to explore ideas, acquire skills, and network.
This, he said was to work towards a shared goal of strengthening the electoral process and civic participation in governance in Nigeria.
“The average Nigerian, youth especially, is politically numb. Years of electoral violence, vote buying, and rigging have stoked deep feelings of betrayal and mistrust in governance and election.
“Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, the country has recorded massive voter apathy because of unhealed wounds of electoral malpractices.
“The trend has fluctuated over two decades, falling to an all-time low in the last general elections which saw only 35.66 per cent turn out (28,614,190 cast votes out of 84,004,084 registered voters) in spite of the excitement that distinguished the 2019 general elections,” he said.
According to Olasupo, within a short time of announcing the CivicTech competition, the group received 30,252 applications from the 36 states of the federation.
He said that the 30, 252 entries were reviewed on a rolling basis and 81 ideas were shortlisted and enroled in a virtual fellowship where they had mentorship opportunities from experts for the next round of the selection.
He said that it was from that number of fellows that the top seven solutions who would participate in finals were shortlisted.
He said that the team with the most promising solution will be awarded 2 million naira to execute their proposed solution, the cash prize would be disbursed at every project milestone so that the funds are utilized effectively.
Olasupo added that the first and second runners-up would receive support from NITDA to mentor, incubate and fund their respective solutions.
“To make the game a win-win for all, we are looking at merging the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th positions with the first three if that will bring a stellar result. ‘’
Olasupo said that this was done in the interest of the country and so that everyone would be winner so as to achieve a common goal.
Earlier, the Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, commended BBYDI for the initiative.
Inuwa, represented by National Director of National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Yau I Garba said that the their efforts were in the right direction because the initiative would help to discover lasting solutions to the prevailing challenges in the electoral system and ensure the active participation of Nigerians in the process.
“As the 2023 general elections approach, the importance of this civictech hackathon cannot be over emphasised because citizens’ participation in the electoral process democracy and is an indispensable pillar of good governance.
“Participation mechanisms provide the government with regular feedback for developing policies and designing decisions that promote democratic ethos and processes.
“With our general elections around the corner, Nigeria needs programmes like this civictech hackathon to help bolster inclusive and accountable decision-making, equitable civic participation and voice, effective public service delivery and government responsibility.’’
Inuwa said that the outcome of the grand finale would be further proof of the value that technology could bring to the electoral process.
“I encourage all the finalists at this stage of 2022 Yvote Naija Civictech Hackathon to channel their ingenuity into developing their innovative solutions to strengthen citizens’ participation in the electoralprocess and help to deepen Nigeria’s democratic experience,” he said.
He expressed hope that with their contributions would provide the emergence of innovative civictech solutions to eliminate the irregularities and fraudulent practices that have been the bane of of Nigeria’s electoral process and it would witness a remarkable transformation and a positive narrative going forward.
