Three teams have won the maiden sanitation hackathon, Ideas Hack ‘21’, aimed at finding innovative solutions to open defecation.
The teams emerged winners after a three-day competition in Accra for ten young teams to pitch digital and non-digital, functioning and sustainable solutions to end open defecation in their communities.
The NHN Barnstormers, H.E.A.D and Generational Thinkers took the first, second and third positions respectively with their technological and advocacy solutions.
Selected from almost 30 entries, two of the three top winners, would be pitched against two winning teams from the equivalent boot camp in Nigeria, to find the best innovations that could help solve some of the region’s sanitation problems.
Launched virtually in June, and themed, “Challenging young minds to solve sanitation problems,” the hackathon is the first regional initiative, soliciting solutions from young people to solve a festering problem.
UNICEF Deputy Representative, Fiachra McAsey said, “Young people are a bank of innovative and creative ideas, and they could hold part of the solution to this multifaceted problem, which affects them even more.”
Apart from showcasing their innovations, they were coached by subject matter experts to help them see their designs in the right/new perspective. The Innovators also undertook an exercise in the field to enlighten them further on the people who are closely affected by the problem.
Some of the participants, as young as ten years of age, came up with innovative solutions such as, automated self-cleaning electronic toilets, apps that help people locate toilet facilities around them, and solutions which cater to people with disabilities.
“These ideas from such brilliant young minds, reignites our hope in an open defecation free Ghana, with further refinement and processing, these ideas could be the solution to making Ghana cleaner.” said Eric Chimsi, Development Officer, Global Affairs Canada.
The West and Central Africa region accounts for 24 percent of global open defecation, with 120 million people practicing it.
In Nigeria and Ghana, as many as 38 and five million people respectively, practice open defecation, a major contributing cause to diarrheal diseases, and which worsens malnutrition.
Ghana is one of a few countries within the sub-region that is making steady progress towards ending open defecation. However, the pace is too slow to help the country achieve its targets by 2030.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri