BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
Eight youth and women innovators from EAC Partner States have won a total of €120,000 to scale their innovative solutions for addressing the region’s economic challenges.
The regional hackathon, was held in Nairobi, Kenya, during the 7th Annual Secretary General’s Forum.
The forum was held under the theme, “Towards a Resilient and Fully Integrated East Africa: Harnessing Opportunities in the Borderless Community,” and tackled the multifaceted challenges facing the region, while exploring opportunities for collective growth and development.
It also served as a platform for citizens 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 event featured a pitching session for women and youth-led projects aimed at solving regional economic integration challenges.
The EAC-GIZ LIFTED 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 eight winning projects, four led by women and four by youth, were awarded €15,000 each as part of the financial and technical support from EAC GIZ. Speaking during the session, the EAC Secretary General, Veronica M. Nduva, acknowledged the significance of the regional hackathon as a testament to the community’s collective commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable development within the EAC.
She expressed gratitude to the European Union and GIZ for their support in making both the Forum and the hackathon possible.
Nduva emphasized that the future of the region lies in the hands of women and youth, who are the driving forces behind innovation, creativity, and economic resilience.
She stated, “The hackathon brings together diverse minds to brainstorm, collaborate, and develop innovative solutions to real challenges. This event is not just about competition, but about collaboration, learning, growth, and harnessing the collective intelligence of our women and youth to address the pressing economic issues facing our region.”
Rebecca Kadaga, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister for East African Community Affairs, commended the EAC for its leadership in organizing the Secretary General’s Forum and the Regional Hackathon initiative.
“These initiatives are attests EAC’s commitment to regional development and are a powerful demonstration of how collaboration across sectors can unlock the potential of our people. By supporting youth and women-led solutions, we are building a more inclusive and prosperous East Africa,” she stated.
On his part, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, Gen. James Kabarebe, emphasized the importance of such platforms in driving regional collaboration and innovation.
