
For 2023, the hackathon is focusing on food security and exploring solutions and ideas driven by data and evidence and that can make the most effective use of technology.
For 2023, the hackathon is focusing on food security and exploring solutions and ideas driven by data and evidence and that can make the most effective use of technology.
For 2023, the hackathon is focusing on food security and exploring solutions and ideas driven by data and evidence and that can make the most effective use of technology. Participation will include data scientist and analyst beyond university students and work with a range of institutions and stakeholders. This hackathon is looking to generate solutions and ideas that can be implemented and monetised.
Friday 17th March 2023
Tuesday 28th March
Friday 31st March to Saturday 1st April
4th April
In 2022, The ONS- KNBS partnership partnered with Strathmore University and The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) to run a hackathon targeted at the use of official data with big data to focus on key issues using SDGs and Government of Kenya policy priorities to guide focus areas. KNBS wanted to work with universities and their students to encourage better use of 2019 census data and released a 10% sample of the data to be used for the hackathon. The winning team ‘data crunchers’ from JKUAT focused on creating a platform to track access to emergency healthcare as part of the Government of Kenya’s policy goal for Universal Healthcare.
This year’s hackathon will be a collaborative effort between the ONS- KNBS partnership, the UK Tech Hub and other parts of the British High Commission working together with both GoK and Private sector partners. A theme has been pre-selected to address one of the biggest challenges that Kenya is facing now, severe drought in parts of the country and some of the worst malnutrition rates the country has seen.
The hackathon aims to address these issues through the prism of data and evidence looking at the entirety of the data value-chain from design, collection, analysis, dissemination, and use to derive solutions and ideas. We want to encourage the use of different types of data and applications and encourage thinking around information provision and use considering the varying needs and challenges faced by data users. Part of the exercise should also look at the data gaps that need to be addressed for more effective solutions. It will be important to consider the ethics of data use and ensure adequate representation of different populations. A set of data, including official data will be made available for use and there will be support on how to use these data.
This event will be a great opportunity for all participants to collaborate and network around their ideas, fostering learning and sharing of expertise. This is a solutions-based exercise looking at producing innovations around the food security challenges the country is facing. We want participants to develop and pitch solutions that can be implemented, monetised, and scaled and we will have stakeholders in the room that are in the market for those ideas.
We are interested in working with institutions that are fostering the development of data science skills in Kenya. The task will be to use these data science and analytical skills together with other skills around effective collaboration, problem solving, communication etc., to develop and pitch a proposal to the judging team that can be implemented. We want to encourage a collaborative team-based approach, it will be crucial to build a team with varying skill sets that do not just include the technical, but skills such as problem solving, policy analysis, strategic thinking and presentation and communication. Participants can register in teams of no more than five people.
The pitches will be judged on:
Your work could help Kenya feed itself and the world! Help Kenya solve issues such as; lack of inputs, seeds, fertilisers, machinery, irrigation, ability to afford inputs, financing, insurance etc with the help of data science.