Aba Hackathon Challenge Opens Application Portal for Startups

The application portal for ‘Aba Hackathon Challenge’ opened for Startups and teams with great ideas on how to add value to the Aba manufacturing clusters.

The Hackathon Challenge is an extension of the Proudly Made in Aba Campaign by TBWA in partnership with #StartupSouth and funded by Ford Foundation.

The portal will close on February 26, 2018 with the main event scheduled for March 16, 2018.

The initial campaign brought more attention to the Aba manufacturing clusters – exposing the great innovative and resilient spirit of the traders/manufacturers.

It also exposed the challenges and deficiencies as well as steps required to fully actualize the mandate of the campaign which is to inspire a revolutionary growth of the Aba manufacturing clusters through re-energized interest in their products from both within and outside Nigeria.

Proudly Made in Aba Campaign Insight

Some of the insights from the campaign revealed that over eight hundred thousand (800,000) pairs of shoes, three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) Belts, Bags and other leather goods are manufactured everyday in Aba.

Also, another One Million, Five Hundred Thousand (1,500,000) Clothing items are manufactured every week in Aba.

This is excluding other manufacturing activities around industries such as upholstery, metal, machine and automobile repairs and fabrication.

Some of the challenges identified range from access to market, distribution/logistic difficulties, lack of marketing/branding knowledge to lack of modern manufacturing equipment and processes to mention just a few.

The Right Teams / Who Should Apply

The Hackathon Challenge is seeking passionate teams familiar with and knowledgeable about issues mentioned (and others not mentioned) here and building a solution that can solve any or all of the problems.

To be successful, teams should be able to demonstrate their understanding of the problem, the impact of their solution to the stated problem area and the experience of their team.

Virgin ideas may apply, however, ideas with traction backed by experienced teams stand a better chance.

A shortlist of 10 teams will be pre-approved to proceed to the Hackathon camp and made to present to a panel of judges comprised of multi-disciplined seasoned business leaders.

About #StartupSouth

#StartupSouth is a Startup Ecosystem development project by Havilah & Hills with a mission to expose, connect and attract investment to startups/founders in the South-South and South-East. Please see www.startupsouth.org for more information

About TBWA\Concept 

TBWA\Concept is part of a global network of 300 agencies in over 100 countries committed to helping brands find strategic and creative white space with the main objective of achieving growth through our proprietary strategic tool, Disruption. Please see www.tbwaconcept.com for more information

About Ford Foundation

Ford Foundation is an international philanthropy organisation dedicated to the advancement of human welfare through reducing poverty and promoting democratic values, peace, and educational opportunity.

Please see www.fordfoundation.org for more information