A number of software developers, computer programmers, graphic designers and others on the creative side of ICT development will have a chance to put their creative abilities at work as the Ministry of Public Telecommunications in collaboration with Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) has launched its first ‘Hackathon’ competition.
The competition is slated for Arthur Chung Convention Center from November 4th to 6th.
The first prize will be $300,000, the second prize $200,000 and the third prize $150,000.
At a press briefing held earlier today at Colgrain House, subject Minister Cathy Hughes in her opening remarks unfolded the new initiative which is aimed at encouraging both novices and experts to work together to create new computer programmes and applications, or find ways to improve existing services, public and otherwise.
Minister Hughes said that the ‘Hackathon’ was conceived to achieve solutions for positive developments and noted that the objective of the programme is to encourage young and not-so-young people who have technological skills to innovate, and create specific programmes that will bring tele-medicine, or e-health, and training aids for e-learning, so that they can learn and earn, establish new businesses, create linkages in and out of Guyana and ultimately contribute to the drive to digitize this nation, creating even more avenues for new jobs.
“There are very few limits to what can be achieved when groups of people, especially small groups, turn their minds in the same direction and create fantastic things … perhaps to write flexible computer programmes, or find ways to improve existing services, public and otherwise”, the minister said. (Carl Croker)
