Youths should Develop Innovative Tech-based solutions to Climate Change

By MaryAnne Musilo,

Jacob’s Ladder Africa and Moringa School announced the winners of the Technology for Climate Hackathon which challenged young people to develop innovative tech-based solutions to address the impact of climate change in the country.

Wara Farm led by Verah Kwamboka and David Nene emerged as the winner for their artificial intelligence (AI) powered solution to mitigate inefficiencies in food supply chains as a means to address food insecurity in the country. The solution decentralises supply chain processes and increases farmers’ access to information and tools they require to improve their outputs.

The second and third place awards were won by Okoa Waste, which seeks to provide urban waste management solutions, followed by Kambare, which aims to close the gap in access to high quality and affordable aqua feeds, respectively. Jacob’s Ladder Africa will incubate the top five teams after the hackathon to help them further develop their solutions.

“The brilliant ideas presented by the different teams that took part in the hackathon underscores our belief that African youth can be the engine for innovation on the continent. They have the potential to bring forth fresh, new solutions that are contextualised to Africa and we feel compelled to spur them on and help provide the tools they require,” says Bilha Ndirangu, co-founder of Jacob’s Ladder Africa.

With 60% of the African population being under the age of 25, the youth can be catalysts that leverage innovation to combat climate change and develop unique solutions to African challenges.

“Our collaboration with Jacob’s Ladder Africa exemplifies a good meeting of minds in using technology to encourage innovation towards developing solutions for climate change. The need for tech talent stands out and Moringa School continues to produce more and more skilled graduates. Some great ideas have emerged from the hackathon including creating a platform for urban farming, organic waste management and more,” says Snehar Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Moringa School.

The judging panel consisted of Dorothy Maseke, Head of Risk & Compliance at ICEA Lion Group, Lizzie Biney-Amissah, Partner at E3 Capital, Marcus Watson, Partner at KawiSafi Ventures and Francis Kahindi, Founder of Techprescribed.