{"id":53622,"date":"2025-03-28T23:50:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T23:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/20-teams-battle-for-innovation-glory-as-irembo-hosts-second-ai-connect\/"},"modified":"2025-03-29T13:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T13:26:42","slug":"20-teams-battle-for-innovation-glory-as-irembo-hosts-second-ai-connect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/20-teams-battle-for-innovation-glory-as-irembo-hosts-second-ai-connect\/","title":{"rendered":"20 teams battle for innovation glory as Irembo hosts second AI Connect hackathon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first edition of the hackathon was held in September last year, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Rwanda\u2019s tech landscape, led by Irembo\u2014a company renowned for digitizing and streamlining government services through innovative digital platforms.<\/p>\n

The 2025 team comprises 63 young and ambitious software engineers from diverse backgrounds, working in groups of two to four, eager to leave their mark in the annals of technology.<\/p>\n

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the hackathon at the Irembo Campus in Nyarutarama, Peter Charles Djomga, Director of Software Engineering at Irembo, rallied the participants to seize the moment and push boundaries to create solutions that address real-world challenges and drive meaningful impact in society.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is your chance to show the world what you\u2019re capable of,\u201d Djomga declared. \u201cTake these 48 hours, use the latest AI tools, and build solutions that don\u2019t just win prizes but change lives\u2014because that\u2019s where the true value lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/figure>\n

He noted that the participating teams were selected from more than 80 submissions, reflecting the growing enthusiasm for AI innovation in Rwanda. This rigorous preselection process narrowed the pool down to 20 standout teams with a total of 63 participants.<\/p>\n

The hackathon\u2019s timing is strategic, aligning with Rwanda\u2019s upcoming inaugural Global AI Summit on Africa, scheduled for April 3-4, 2025.<\/p>\n

Djomga explained that hosting the event now positions Irembo as a key player in the nation\u2019s artificial intelligence landscape, amplifying the country\u2019s push to become a regional tech hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re setting the stage for the Summit,\u201d he remarked, \u201cshowing that Rwanda isn\u2019t just following global trends\u2014we\u2019re shaping them, starting with these innovators right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In developing practical AI solutions, the participants will leverage large language models (LLMs) and locally built technologies. Teams will also have the opportunity to access IremboPay APIs to integrate cutting-edge digital payment solutions into their projects. Pindo, a partner of the event, will provide access to its latest speech-to-text and text-to-speech AI models for voice-enabled applications.<\/p>\n

Other sponsors of the event include the World Economic Forum (WEF), RSSB, and Digital Umuganda, among others.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

Coding for the projects is expected to close at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 30, 2025, when the participants will submit their projects. Presentations of the solutions to a panel of distinguished judges will then commence and conclude by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.<\/p>\n

After the evaluations, the winners will be announced and awarded during a ceremony to be held later that evening at the Irembo Campus in Nyarutarama.<\/p>\n

The stakes are higher this year, with the top prize remaining at 5 million Rwandan francs, while second place has increased to 3 million, up from 2 million in the first edition, and third place now stands at 2 million, up from 1 million.<\/p>\n

Beyond the cash rewards, all participants gain invaluable exposure, networking opportunities, and the chance for career boosts. Djomga noted that last year\u2019s winner, Cedric Izabayo, joined Irembo\u2014a hint at potential paths for this year\u2019s standouts\u2014while emphasizing that the true goal is crafting solutions to streamline digital services.<\/p>\n

As Rwanda races toward its National Strategy for Transformation goal of a million developers by 2030, this 48-hour hackathon is a microcosm of that ambition. Djomga framed it as a quality-driven effort: \u201cIt\u2019s not about the number\u2014it\u2019s about pushing the boundaries of what\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants like Hirwa Venuste, a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with over a decade of tech experience, see it as a chance to make a mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to create something the community can benefit from\u2014AI can solve so many problems today,” he told IGIHE.<\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/figure>\n

Likewise, Kerianne Nabampema, a graduating Carnegie Mellon University student, aims to inspire: \u201cI\u2019m a go-getter\u2014I had this crazy idea, and I want to show what\u2019s possible, especially for women in tech.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Sunday evening, the efforts of these ambitious tech enthusiasts will not only crown new winners but also shine a spotlight on Rwanda\u2019s rising tech stars in the fast-paced tech industry.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The second edition of the AI Connect Hackathon, hosted by Irembo in partnership with the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), kicked off on Friday, March 28, 2025, with 20 teams competing for innovation glory in under 48 hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000084465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-technology","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000084465,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/1e5a6954irembo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000084465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53622"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53622"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}