Ministry Of Sanitation Lacing Up For Hackathon

The Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources in partnership with the World Bank is gearing up for this year’s Sanitation Hackathon.

The Hackathon brings together IT professionals to develop a technological solution to problems within a specific timeline.

This year, the Sanitation Ministry seeks to develop IT solutions to Ghana’s sickening sanitation crisis.

This year’s event will take place between November 17 -19 , 2018.

Shortlisted IT professionals will be camped at a specific location during this period, while developing digital solutions to the given problem.

Liquid Waste Programs Manager at the Sanitation Ministry, Henrietta Osei-Tutu, told Citi News “the objective of this Hackathon is to provide a good avenue for us to harness and latch on to improve our gains and also leapfrog our progress towards improved sanitation. Sanitation in Ghana is lagging behind tremendously; both liquid waste and solid waste. Also access to toilets; so the Hackathon will help us address these issues in our homes, communities and the country as a whole.”

Some of the thematic areas the Hackathon will target include “indiscriminate littering and waste collection.”

Harold Esseku, a consultant for the World Bank, said “Whatever the guys are going to do, it should be something that doesn’t require one million dollars from someone. But something simple and practical which can help change the unpalatable sanitation situation in Ghana.”

The Sanitation Hackathon is under the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project, and financed by the World Bank.