With a bespoke vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world for its customers, MTN Ghana has launched its 2021 Ayoba
Hackathon contest to allow App developers to get creative and launch their services through micro-apps for the telecom giant’s Ayoba platform.
Ayoba is one of the key platforms MTN Ghana uses in driving its digital agenda.
Nicknamed ‘the African SuperApp’ by Winnie Dzidonu, MTN Ghana’s Manager Applications and Partnerships, the App is designed for the African digital consumer and is available to customers on all networks in Ghana. Over one million local users are currently using the App.
Also commenting on the competition, Winnie Dzidonu, MTN Ghana’s Manager Applications and Partnerships, said the Ayoba platform is ripe to launch more micro-apps through which developers, start-ups, and businesses could reach out to over one million users who would enjoy its services without using their data bundles on MTN.
“In view of that, as we launch the Ayoba hackathon…I urge all Apps developers, start-ups, and businesses to put on their thinking caps and zoom into the innovation zone and come up with solutions that can catapult Africa to the next level of digitization. We have a lot of confidence in our judges to select the right Applications that will feature on Ayoba,” she stated.
Speaking during the official launch of the Ayoba Hackathon contest on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, MTN Ghana’s Chief Marketing Officer, Noel Kojo-Ganson, said the hackathon would allow participants to better place themselves to take on the digital future that is now at hand.
“As you may be aware, as part of MTN’s Ambition 2025, the business is ably positioning itself to be a digital company, and events such as these will help to set the tone for the total transformation of the business,” he said.
Mr. Kojo-Ganson added that it was MTN Ghana’s firm belief that everyone deserves the benefit of a modern connected life and with the right digital solutions that can drive Africa and Ghana’s progress.
Charging prospective participants to enroll in the contest, he said, Ayoba has been well-positioned as the Digital Economy catalyst for Africa, providing a free messaging suite to aid interactions and communication between individuals and businesses, creating access to global and local content for brands, and promoting social content.
“Ayoba is a gradually becoming a one-stop shop for all digital services. All developers are encouraged to take advantage of the platform created by MTN to gain access to a wider market across Africa,” Kojo-Ganson urged.
2021 Ayoba Hackathon Competition Roadmap
Developers and start-ups would have to register on http://www.ayobahackathon.gh.com by August 25, 2021.
Over two days, participants would be given access to a developer sandbox environment and they will have access to mentors who will provide tech, UI/UX, and business support.
Participants would have three days to code and prepare their submissions for presentation and pitch their work to a panel of experts/judges.
Three winners would be selected at the end of the 2021 Ayoba Hackathon contest. The ultimate winner would take home an amount of GHS20, 000. The second and third-placed developers would also be awarded GHS10, 000 and GHS8,000 respectively.
