Mr. Joe Anokye, Director-General, National Communications Authority (NCA), has urged university students at the 2023 StatsBank Hackathon Awards maiden edition to go beyond their boundaries to unlock their full potential.
The event took place on 26th October, 2023 at Wesley Towers, presided over by Mr. Anokye, and sought to promote awareness of StatsBank for Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) and foster utilisation of census data in research relevant to policy-making.
Addressing the audience, Mr. Joe Anokye lauded the GSS for launching this initiative, emphasising its potential to infuse innovation into digital analysis and tap into the exploratory, theoretical, innovative and creative capabilities of students.
Emphasising the significance of this endeavour, Mr. Anokye stressed that the application of analytics and automation to data amplifies and enriches its value. He underscored that this undertaking is both pertinent and well-timed, as it facilitates the creation of utility applications which empower planners, researchers and investors to extract more valuable insights from data that can be readily comprehended and put to use in various ways.
He also commended the students for their determination and expression of ingenuity in developing applications that will enable the GSS to provide more value to interested parties who need to utilise the StatsBank. Mr. Anokye urged other government institutions to replicate these initiatives, which will also provide opportunities for the younger generation to realise their full potential.
“Every participant is a winner for developing useful applications that will make Ghana a more innovative country, driven by digital disruptions and powered by big data in a march toward achieving the requisite SDGs,” he said.
Winners of the maiden edition of StatsBank Hackathon Awards 2023 were the Badwenba Team from the University of Cape Coast. Team Data Genius from the University of Ghana was awarded first runner-up, and second runner-up was Team Robust, also from the University of Cape Coast.
The national hackathon is an initiative of Ghana Statistical Services, which is organised in collaboration with Statistics Denmark and five public universities. The initiative is expected to bring research closer to industry and practice in evidence-based decision-making.
