Facebook, through its Internet.org initiative, and WordPress have been confirmed as the two major sponsors of the Hack for Big Choices event in Ghana later this month.
Disrupt Africa reported earlier this week San Francisco-based non-profit Hack for Big Choices will on February 20-23 host what it claims will be West Africa’s biggest ever hackathon in Accra, Ghana, looking for solutions to challenges in the region and offering successful entrepreneurs long-term support.
Facebook and WordPress have now been confirmed as key sponsors, while two judges from the US Broadcasting Board of Governors are flying in to help judge the hackathon.
“WordPress has offered financial support and will also have team members attending the event to scout for new talent,” Hack for Big Choices said.
“Facebook is providing sponsorship support and will also have representatives at the hackathon offering workshops to participants and assisting them to develop new ideas.”
Hack for Big Choices said Ghana had the potential to set an example to the rest of Africa, having managed economic growth of an average of over six per cent per year for the last six years, predicted to rise to eight per cent this year.
“Students, young entrepreneurs, local business leaders and politicians, all sharing the same space, 24 hours a day for one weekend… the clock will be ticking and testing their level of cooperation, ambition, and innovation as they work together to come up with solutions to some of the biggest social issues that face West Africa. The event is growing to epic proportions, with new support and partners coming on board every day,” Hack for Big Choice said.
“We believe this is deeply necessary because Africa’s population will grow more rapidly, 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,” said Aurora Chiste, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Hack for Big Choices.
John-Paul Parmigiani, co-founder of Hub Accra, which is hosting the event, said: “Now is the time to collaborate with African changemakers to create solutions to local and pan-African challenges through teamwork and technology. At Hub Accra we want to encourage entrepreneurs to spark truly impactful innovations that can better serve their communities in a sustainable way.”
