How Vilsquare Makers’ Hub grooms techpreneurs to address social problems

Nigeria faces a plethora of problems. Some require the application of technology, some do not. But many of these problems are underscored by societal challenges including lack of inclusiveness for Nigeria’s vulnerable groups, especially the youth; inadequate provision of public goods, and divisiveness along ethnic and religious lines.

These trends are causing a strain on the social lives of Nigerians. The absence of social inclusion has contributed to the surge in insecurity and this is nearly on all the geopolitical zones of the country as young people turn towards crime. Divisiveness is reinforcing negative stereotypes that promote distrust among the different ethnic groups. The inadequacy of public spending is leading to outcomes such as Nigeria being home to the largest number of out-of-school children in the world, and the greatest number of poor people on earth.

Nigeria’s high youth population which could be an asset is fast becoming a liability that is weighing down on the country. But inherently, Nigerian youths are enterprising, innovative, and ingenious.

To help reverse these issues, young people are coming together in a hackathon comprising groups of diverse participants in an inclusive environment, to provide practical tech-hardware solutions to problems facing their societies.

With clear identified goals targeted towards attaining five specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — namely good health, quality education, innovation and industry, clean water and sanitation, and zero hunger—, solutions will be arrived at through dialogue and collaboration among members of these diverse groups.

Groups will comprise participants with backgrounds ranging from technology –hardware, software, creative and fine arts, graphics design, fashion and health among others.

To achieve long-term societal stability, it is believed that Nigerian youths have a role to play. They ought to be contributors in the sense that conversations around national cohesion need to originate amongst them within the context of topics they are passionate about — technology.

Organising this hackathon is Vilsquare Makers’ Hub, a subsidiary of Vilsquare Global Resources, a research and data analytics firm along with Meluibe Foundation, which specializes in the empowerment of youth and women.

The hackathon, themed, ‘Building the Makers’ Movement’ is an initiative that will occur in series and hold in all the geopolitical zones in the country.

In each of the zones, participants will get to talk about the common problems they face within the context of the SDGs, decide which ones to address, and together come up with ideas and solutions to the problems.

Diversity among participants is necessary in order to develop robust concepts and designs that accommodate all orientations and technical backgrounds. The overall aim is to use technology to foster bonds between strangers, who are united by the common quest to solve Nigeria’s problems using hardware.

Josephine Okojie