BIH Launches AppFactory
Staff Writer | Monday October 29, 2018 13:20
The initiative, which was conceptualised in collaboration with Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative would also assist, select ICT graduates with software development, including secure coding, machine learning, bot framework and data analytics.
According to the Hub’s brand and communications manager, Kemiso Ben this platform would give ICT graduates critical skills that match today’s digital job opportunities.
“There are currently 18 AppFactories across the continent, which have graduated 1,400 apprentices, with 85% of these graduates securing employment within three months of graduating,” she said.
According to Ben, the second instalment of the Innovation Day is a platform to further demonstrate BIH’s support to innovative entrepreneurship by providing opportunities to showcase, engage, connect and learn from one another.
Innovation Botswana showcased national innovations and presented a platform for dialogue on the critical elements that advance progress of the innovation and entrepreneurship agenda.
The day was a festival of inspiration, creation and innovation that brought together more than 250 stakeholders from civil society, business and academia, public sector and industry to celebrate innovation through exhibitions, thought leadership presentations, panel discussions and networking. This year’s theme was ‘Igniting the Innovation Spirit’, seeking to stimulate new thinking and motivate action.
“A prelude to Innovation Botswana 2018 was an all-day hackathon activity on October 24 that brought together 65 youthful Batswana developers collaborating in computer coding to provide a solution to a real-life problem statement,” she said.
Further, she said the second instalment of the Innovation Botswana has grown in terms of the number of exhibitors adding that more than 60 exhibitors showcased their innovations ranging from indigenous based products and unique knowledge-based business services to mobile applications.
The programme for the Innovation Botswana 2018 composed a thought leadership talk, presentations and panel discussions on topics including; Creating efficiencies using innovation, Ethics of artificial intelligence and Big Data for Big Benefits. An exhibition of products and services mainly in cleantech, ICT services, indigenous knowledge, mining technologies focal areas of BIH followed the morning engagement.