Bolgatanga Technical University, in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service, organized the 2024 Statistical Data Hackathon competition, titled “Unlocking Data Potential: Innovate for Impact.” The program aims to equip students with essential skills in data gathering and analysis.
The competition featured five student groups presenting on various topics, with Team Golsa emerging as the winner for their innovative presentation on a neonatal mortality vaccination schedule gender app. Team Akukula secured second place with their project on a drought feasibility calculator for northern Ghana, while Team Jaguar took third place with their presentation on the Gender Equality Affirmative Action Act. Other participants included Team Luccy and Team Fishe.
Speaking to the team leader of Team Golsa, Abotzabire Mathew Awinbe, during the event, he expressed confidence in their upcoming participation in the national hackathon, where they will compete against other technical universities. Awinbe stated, “When we entered this competition, we told our competitors that we were going to win, and we did. I assure the management of Bolgatanga Technical University that they can trust us to work hard and return with the ultimate crown from the national competition.”
Dr. Benjamin Apam, the focal person for the program and a lecturer at Bolgatanga Technical University, emphasized the competition’s importance in fostering creativity, skills, and passion among students to develop innovative, data-driven products. He noted that the projects presented were not only demonstrations of technical expertise but also reflections of how students harness data to create real-world solutions.
Dr. Apam added that the top three teams will represent Bolgatanga Technical University at the national level, competing against six other technical universities. He highlighted the collaboration and learning opportunities provided by the hackathon, allowing students to engage deeply with the Ghana Statistical Service’s StatsBank, mentors, fellow students across various fields, and staff from the Ghana Statistical Service. This platform has enabled students to explore integrated datasets and leverage them to address pressing challenges facing both the nation and the world.
The products developed—including dashboards, policy recommendations, and visualizations—have the potential to contribute to sustainable development, reflecting the hackathon’s true purpose: to innovate for impact.
Mr. Samuel Kobina Annim, the Government Statistician, encouraged students to take an active interest in the Hackathon competition, emphasizing that data plays a crucial role in national development. He noted that the collaboration between the Ghana Statistical Service and Bolgatanga Technical University aims to address accountability issues stemming from the 2014 data revolution, which preceded the Sustainable Development Goals. He urged students to pursue their own data initiatives and collaborate with the Ghana Statistical Service to establish a Central Data Repository, where datasets gathered by the university can be stored, compared, and validated against the Ghana Statistical Service’s online StatsBank.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya