Chronicle Editor
MTHABISI TSHUMA recently in Masvingo
TELECOMMUNICATIONS regulator Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has boosted three young innovators groups with a total of US$145 000.
The rewarded young innovators successfully came up with solutions to revive the postal and courier services sector in the 2024 hackathon held in Masvingo as from Monday to Tuesday. The hackathon, also known as Innovation Drive Challenge 2024 ran under the theme, “The future of delivery – parcel technology for tomorrow”.
Ten teams took part in the competition with Team FASA being named first winner and walked away US$50 000 richer. They were followed by Blitztech who won US$45 000, while TINYA A.I bagged US$40 000 after coming third. Other participating teams included Hurudza Artificial Intelligence (A.I), Netro Electronics l, Zimbabwe Open University Innovations Hub, Zethsoft Business Systems, Sosho Pay, Fabrizio Technologies, and AeroClock Technologies.
Addressing delegates at the awards ceremony, ICT Deputy Minister Dingumuzi Phuti said the challenge seeks to cultivate a culture of research, development and innovation in the ICT Sector.
“As a Ministry we are impressed with these efforts by Potraz as they walk hand in glove with the vision of our President, Dr ED Mnangagwa whose mantra has been that “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo – ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo – a nation is built by its own people”. This is because this innovation drive is our own solution to our own challenges and problems as Zimbabwe. This is how we are building Zimbabwe, brick upon brick, home-grown solution upon home-grown solution.
“This innovation drive is thus a key enabler of our vision for an upper middle income society by the year 2030 founded on a digital economy. This year’s innovation drive seeks to promote solutions in the realm of the postal and courier services sector. I am informed that this event has tasked competitors to focus on the development of three core products: an Internet of Things (loT)-enabled Smart Locker system, a Pick-Up Drop-Off (PUDO) type application, and a Customer Interface tool,” said Deputy Minister Phuti.
Deputy Minister Phuti said these Postal and Courier Services oriented solutions are critical as they come at a time when we are repurposing the sector to adopt new and current trends in the wake of the rise of disruptive technologies.
Potraz director deputy general Mr Alfred Marisa said this year’s challenge has a clear focus which is to encourage sector-specific innovation among our youth in the postal and courier services industry.
“By harnessing the creativity and energy of our young minds, we aim to address the unique needs of this sector. Our approach provides a framework for solving industry-specific challenges and sets a blueprint for future initiatives, including our 2025 hackathon, which will explore innovations across various key sectors.
“Our outreach efforts this year have been extensive. We initiated a broad call for participation that resonated regionally and globally, sparking discussions around innovation. The response has been remarkable, translating into thousands of online impressions and highlighting the widespread interest in our efforts,” said Mr Marisa.
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