25 Feb NEMISA TO HOST VIRTUAL DATA SCIENCE HACKATHON

PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS/REPORTERS DATE: 25 FEBRUARY 2021
NEMISA TO HOST VIRTUAL DATA SCIENCE HACKATHON
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella
Ndabeni-Abrahams is set to open the inaugural NEMISA Virtual Data Science
Hackathon.
The Hackathon will be held over 3-days from 26 to 28 February 2021 and will
see different teams of hackers, data wranglers and other enthusiasts battling it
up for the number one spot in South Africa.
In its second year running, the Data Science Innovation Hackathon will this
year be hosted virtually, as part of adhering to government Covid-19
regulations. This hackathon seeks to engage with government data to unlock
insights that could inform policy decisions. The hackathon is a collaborative
multi-stakeholder partnership between provincial governments, institutions of
higher learning, youth formations, digital technology experts and mentors in
partnership with data science enthusiasts. As part of an effort to grow the
hackathon and attract more participants, the hackathon will have virtual
‘venues’ from all nine provinces with each venue having mentors to support
the hackers and judges to evaluate the proposed projects.
The participants will mine the data and reveal interesting trends that the
provincial datasets provide. These meanings will provide evidence for national
policy recommendations. A digital badge and certificate of participation will be
awarded to all participants. There will also be prizes per province. There will
be a Special prize towards the improvement of the overall winner solution
(Prototype Development).
Media enquiries:
Siphe Macanda: 078 402 2583
Victoria Tau: 081 257 4386
info@nemisa.co.za