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Three innovators, E-procure, IFFMER, and E-xpose have emerged first, second third positions respectively among seven competitors that were shortlisted at the ideas pitch for the Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) Hackathon Demo Day organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the support of the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA) and the Ford Foundation.
RELATED: Applications now open for the 2022 NITDA, ICPC Financial Flows Hackathon
The sum of N1.5 million cash prize were given to the three winners respectively.
The event with the theme ‘Innovative Technology Ideas to Curb Corruption and Illicit Financial Flows in Government Budgets and MDAs Procurement Process in Nigeria’ held at the ICPC Auditorium in Abuja recently.
It was designed to develop indigenous solutions to curb Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) in ministries departments and agencies (MDAs) and check for local movement of funds within Nigeria and across international borders to ensure the effective monitoring of procurement processes.
The seven startups that pitched at the hackathon used the School Feeding Programme (SFP) as a case study.
“We believe that we have to actually promote our content and have homegrown solutions here in Nigeria,” said NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi at the event.
Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director Standards, Guidelines, and Frameworks Mr. Oladejo Olawunmi, said the hackathon is captured under three pillars of the agency’s seven Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024) one of which is Indigenous Content Promotion, Digital Innovation, and Emerging technologies.
“When we import technology only the technology is transferred and not the knowledge,” said the NITDA boss while speaking on Indigenous Content Promotion said even as he stressed that it was not ideal to fight corruption with imported technology being that there would always be a back end.
He said NITDA promotes digital innovation and entrepreneurship by ensuring that innovations or ideas pitched at any hackathon event by NITDA are “incubated, young innovators are mentored and given the needed exposure both within and outside the country to attract investors.
“NITDA has taken startups to international exhibitions and has won prizes at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX).”
He added that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data and many more are new technologies that will be useful in curbing corruption.
The ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, during his opening remarks appreciated NITDA for the technical support it has rendered to make the hackathon successful stating that “the School Feeding Funds investigation and experience has led us to today’s activities supported by Ford Foundation.
“IFFs remains a major avenue for diversion of revenue both in the local and transnational transactions and activities and the deliverables from this event is to have negotiation guidelines that we hope will be adopted by the government, and those who have businesses to do with the government will have a template to guide them on how to act for the government.”
Giving a brief of the IFFs hackathon selection process, the team lead from NITDA Dr. Zareefa Mustapha said there was a call for application with over 2400 applications. She said for the screening processes hubs were engaged as consultants, as” they know what is happening in the technology space and are in the best position to identify viable solutions.”
Dr Mustapha said, “In the first stage of the selection process it was screened down to 50 and from, that it was screened down to 22.
“The 22 were interviewed and they did a demo of their technologies and that was how the top seven were selected”, she added.
She explained that the selected seven innovators were judged based on six criteria adaptability, originality, practicability, sustainability, accessibility, and technicality, adding that a booth camp was then held for the selected seven at the agency’s subsidiary National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) with the help of technical partners to guide the process.
“Your technology may end up not being what the ICPC needs but it may be something that the Ford Foundation can take to the next level. Even if you don’t win you are a winner, the technologies that you have developed could always be used for something else,” said the Regional Director, Ford Foundation West Africa, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye.
The other innovations at the demo day were DBlaze App, Blockchain Solution, CAVAS, and FoodySchool.
In attendance was the representative of the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu, Mr. Kashim Ibrahim a Deputy Director in the ministry.
