Coding4Integrity: African Youth Anti-Corruption Hackathon
Date: 4 – 31 October, 2021
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is
looking for the most talented coders to inspire us with their ideas on
how tech can help fight corruption and advance peace, justice and strong institutions!1. About the Hackathon
The African Youth Anti-Corruption Hackathon is a virtual 4week technology challenge organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with private and public sector organizations in five African countries, namely Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
The objectives of the hackathon are to promote the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) to prevent and combat corruption in Africa and to give young developers the chance to come up with their own ideas on how to counter corruption through technologies. The challenge will also promote the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) by enhancing public-private partnerships in the development of sustainable ICT-based anti-corruption solutions; youth engagement and employment; innovation and technology.
The winning teams will have the opportunity to further develop their technology solutions with the support of the public sector partners of the hackathon that seek to increase the use of ICT solutions as part of their domestic anti-corruption efforts.
In particular, the hackathon seeks to deliver the followingoutcomes in the participating countries:• Increased advocacy and youth engagement in the fight against corruption; • Increased youth employment, innovation and technology; • Increased public-private partnerships; • Increased efficiency and effectiveness in public administration and service delivery; • Increased transparency, accountability and accessibility to state and public services. 2. Who are we looking for?
The hackathon is open to young creative people who: ✓ are between the age of 18 and 35; ✓ have basic coding skills and some experience with one or more development technologies;✓ are nationals of Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa;✓ have knowledge of Java, Javascript, C++, Python;✓ are proficient in English;✓ are passionate about using their tech skills to design digitally innovative solutions to promote integrity and tackle corruption in their countries.
Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply for the hackathon. 3. Thematic Areas
The hackathon participants will be challenged to develop an ICT-based idea or solution that address one or more of the following themes:1) Transparency in public administration, for instance non-cash-based payments and traceability;2) Safe and reliable reporting of corruption (whistle-blowing promotion and protection);3) Transparency in public procurement and the administration of public finances, with a focus on the health sector;4) Financial investigation solutions ; 5) Other areas relevant to UNCAC.4. Teams and tracks
The hackathon participants will be grouped in teams of fourmembers. The application form allows participants to apply either individually or as a team. The individual applicants will be grouped in teams during the first week of the hackathon.
Each team will work in one of the following tracks based on the type of technology that the team will create:
Track 1: Blockchain Dapp developing
Track 2: AI developing
Track 3: Web2 developing 5. Hackathon Programme
The hackathon will be held virtually on Untap-Compete.com and Microsoft Teams. Registered participants will receive confirmation of their successful application by 27 September 2021.
The hackathon will officially commence on 4 October 2021.Subsequently, the hackathon participants will be engaged in one week of ideation and team formation, two weeks of coding with the final submissions being made by 27 October 2021. The hackathon winners will be announced on 31 October 2021.
Mentorship, product development, ideation and technical webinars will be organized in the course of the hackathon. 6. Award
The winning teams will be invited to present their projects and ideas to the Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (COSP), which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in December 2021. The COSP will bring together anti-corruption experts from more than 180 countries and will serve as a great opportunity for the winning teams to promote and seek further support for the development of their ICT-based solutions.
UNODC will cover the travel and accommodation for the winning teams in accordance with the UN travel regulations.
If you are interested, please apply on:
Before 20 September 2021
GOOD LUCK!