TNM, Facebook take Smart Challenge to students in Malawi universities
In a bid to familiarise students on its Smart Challenge competition which will see winners flying to Silicon Valley in the USA, TNM and its partners toured the country’s major college campuses and held TNM smart Challenge workshops.
TNM Smart Challenge workshops were conducted in partnership with Facebook, mHub and IBM. The teams have so far been to the Polytechnic and Chancellor College of University of Malawi and Mzuzu University.
Speaking at Mzuzu University campus, TNM Marketing Manager Madalitso Jonazi said the workshops were designed to equip the students with knowledge on the formalities of participating in the Smart Challenge which will require them to pitch ICT application ideas and develop them into socially-relevant projects.
“Through these interactions, we have managed to reach over a thousand students and shared with them knowledge and tools on how to go about to turn their ideas into tangible mobile applications apps,” he said.
Jonazi encouraged those willing to participate in the competition to register before the closing date of October 31, 2015and be able to win a trip to Silicon Valley in California.
“TNM Smart Challenge will award local content and application developers. This is the first initiative of its kind in Malawi. The programme is aimed at nurturing and inspiring talent among students as such I would like to encourage people to register before the closure of registration date on October 31, 2015,” he said.
Facebook Strategic Manager Jennifer Fong said Facebook is happy to be part of the Smart Challenge and looks forward to receiving and supporting innovative and exciting application solutions through the initiative.
“As Facebook we are very happy to work with TNM on Smart Challenge. The reason that we decided get involved in this is because we believe that we are investing in Malawi’s next generation technologically. We would like to see more services, more Apps and more websites coming out of this country,” Fong said
TNM has engaged mHub, Facebook, Google, Opera Software and IBM as technology partners for this initiative.
Smart challenge is a good initiative especially to the youths to come up with innovative ideas that can contribute and solve some of the problems we face on daily basis……. But one wonders why priority is only given to University students who already have a vast access to resources yet other Youths who do not make it to Vasity are totally neglected.
It could have been…. And still it can be of great benefits to consider other Youths regardless of them not been at college or studing……. a bright and practical idea sometimes rooms around in the streets.