Innovative solutions created at Co-Creation Hub hackathon

The Public Sector Innovation Hackathon took place over three days, from 12 to 14 April at the Co-Creation Hub headquarters in Windhoek. The international technology hub hosted students with an affinity for computer sciences and technology to solve tech-related problems faced by Namibia.

The event aimed to solve three problems and was therefore divided into three tracks. On the last day of the event, the teams pitched their ideas, and the winning team of each track received US$1 500 which is about equal to almost N$30 000 at the time of publication.



Track one

Track one focused on digital public infrastructure in Namibia. The goal was to develop digital resources for Namibia’s public sector to enable easier online access to documents and forms. This will allow Namibians to easily access the information they need without needing to wait in long queues to get a physical copy.

The solution offered by the winning team, Brito Kandombe, Sherleyn Kandombo, Anna Amon and Tyrone Nashandi, is to use a machine learning algorithm to recognise characters on documents and capture that information onto a digital version. Since all the documents will not be perfectly uniform, it is important that this AI can identify differences and irregularities in these documents and fix them quickly to ensure that no mistakes sneak through.

This artificial intelligence can be utilised to undertake menial tasks much quicker than humans, and if trained correctly, much more accurately. Of course, this technology can be implemented for a wide range of problems.



Track two

Track two involved the goal of creating a smooth synthesis between tourism and tech. Online marketing can be implemented more effectively to boost the tourism sector and increase the number of tourists that will come to Namibia. This can be done through well-developed public websites and will boost Namibia’s income from foreign countries.

The solution for track two, as presented by the winning team Flavia Shaghala, Thangeni Mathew, Hekima Muhuka and Natalia Hamata, is to create an app that can offer real-time maps and extra details into surrounding tourist attractions – often making them aware of the hidden local gems. This platform will also allow small businesses to promote what they offer and help remote communities grow.



Track three

Track three aimed to promote the digital nomad visa. The participants in this track set out to market the nomad visa to increase traffic around that project. The tourism sector will also be able to benefit from this improvement to make the nomad visa more popular, accessible and profitable for the country.

Andreas Akuumba, Rosalia Helao and Andreas Mbundu suggested creating a streamlined website where one can apply for a nomad visa. This website will make the application process much easier while also providing information about Namibia and what it can provide to visitors.

Each team pitched their ideas to a panel of three judges who assessed the quality of each presentation. The winners of each track will also be given the opportunity to develop their ideas through a pre-incubation programme and granted the necessary resources and funding to do so. The goal is not just to come up with an idea but rather to implement it and improve the functionality of each track.