In line with the Buhari administration’s policy of promoting the use of technology as a critical tool for public service delivery, the Federal Government, through the Presidency’s National Social Investment Office, is set to commence a North-East focussed Makeathon, (a process of crowdsourcing ideas around solutions) for interested persons, humanitarian actors, engineers, designers, scientists, innovators, investors and entrepreneurs in the region.
The North East Makeathon is slated to run from October 2017 to December 2017 and would expectedly usher in the first set of incubation activities in the proposed North East humanitarian innovation hub.
The focus of the hub will be to address challenges faced by persons in the region some of which include Nutrition and Food Security, Early Recovery and Economic Security (Diversifying Livelihoods), Camp Coordination and Management, Education (innovative and creative learning solutions) and Health (innovation which addresses the health issues faced by pregnant women, children and communities in the region).
Another critical area of focus in the hub would be the protection of women and children (Gender-based violence: innovative and preventive measures).
The establishment of the proposed hub for the North-East is being driven by the National Social Investment Office working with the Presidential Committee for the North-East Initiatives (PCNI), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and in partnership with the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). It will serve as a Humanitarian Innovation Hub and be situated in Yola, Adamawa State.
Generally, eight private sector-led Innovation Hubs are slated to be established across the country; one in each of the six geo-political zones and one each in Lagos and Abuja, with the main objective of fostering innovation in the country through the National Social Investment Office.
The proposed innovation hubs would also serve to, among other things, provide training of varied IT skills, empowering youth for entrepreneurship and employment. Additionally, the hubs would provide a platform at an entrepreneurial level for support from the venture capital sector as well as create job opportunities for graduates and trainees at the Hub.
The goal is to catalyse growth and employment-focused partnerships while bringing together IDPs, Humanitarian actors, Social Entrepreneurs, Businesses, as well as the Public and Private Sector with the shared goal of scaling effective, timely, efficient and ethical solutions to address common challenges and provide local solutions for local problems.
For further details on the challenges and how to participate, interested persons can refer to the website at www.nemakeathon.org
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