Eight youth and women innovators from the East African Community region have won a total of 120,000 Euros to boost their innovative solutions for addressing the region’s economic challenges.
The eight winning projects, four led by women and four by youth, were each awarded 15,000 Euros to support their enterprises, as part of the financial and technical support from the European Union (EU), East African Community (EAC) and German agency for international development (GIZ).
The winning entries represented each of the eight East African countries and received a cheque of
The regional hackathon was held in Nairobi, Kenya, during the Seventh Annual Secretary General’s Forum held under the theme of ‘Towards a Resilient and Fully Integrated East Africa: Harnessing Opportunities in the Borderless Community.’
These are the winners of the Youth and Women Hackathon
- Niyonkuru Kevin from SPOTA Company; Burundi
- Cirhuza Birhaheka Onesphore from AGRIMOD SARL; DR Congo
- Tayba Hatiym from BAUS Taka Enterprise; Kenya
- Pacifique Niyorurema from Fresco Fruits; Rwanda
- Mohamed Osman Abdulkadir from Greenlife Agribusiness Limited; Somalia
- Anok Athor Deng from Future of family planning; South Sudan
- Faith Kuya of the SafeSip Limited; Tanzania
- Munyasa Hellen from Helton Traders Limited; Uganda
Among other things, the event served as a platform for ordinary people in East Africa to contribute to the policymaking process, identify issues affecting them and collaborate on strategies for a shared future of integration and a borderless community.
The project was co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in partnership with the EAC Secretariat.
It attracted over 1,000 innovative solutions in sectors such as tourism, agribusiness, environmental protection, trade, digitalization, and financial services from youth and women across East Africa.
Each project had the opportunity to present its unique solution to a distinguished jury during the main plenary session on December 11, attended by the EAC Secretary General, ministers, permanent secretaries, and representatives from civil society and the private sector.
The presentations highlighted the potential impact of the initiatives in addressing regional economic integration challenges.
After each presentation, a dynamic question and answers session encouraged in-depth discussions, providing valuable feedback to the participants and fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among the diverse projects.
The EAC Secretary General, Veronica Nduva, acknowledged the significance of the regional hackathon as a testament to the community’s collective commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable development.
Mr Marius Weist, GIZ’s Component Lead for Organisational Development and Outreach, emphasised the importance of empowering women and youth to achieve East African Community’s economic goals and foster an inclusive economy.
On her part, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, said the initiatives attests EAC’s commitment to regional development and are a powerful demonstration of how collaboration across sectors can unlock the people’s potential.
Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, General James Kabarebe, emphasized the importance of such platforms in driving regional collaboration and innovation.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development, Abdi Dubat emphasized the value of the discussions in highlighting both the challenges and opportunities within the EAC region.