Five startups win N17.5m at hackathon to end open defecation

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Five startups have won N3.5 million each, totalling N17.5 million and four months mentorship at the Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) Hackathon Innovation fair 2.0 to end open defecation.

The five innovators that emerged winners after the hackathon competition held in Lagos, recently were Schrodinger Tech, Retreasure, Junkyard, Green Cycle and Sparkling Light.

The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, who presented the awards, said that the innovations were designed to address challenges of open defecation and enhance access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

Adamu said in his keynote address that WASH provides an excellent platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas.

“It is my hope that the ideas and initiatives showcased at this hackathon will be brought to fruition so that the startups can contribute to plugging into identified gaps for more effective intervention in the sector.

“The theme for this year’s fair, “Innovation for Sustainable Growth in the Sector,” is timely against the backdrop of certain concerns about the shortfalls in the issue of access to safe water.

“It is also an important condition and plays a critical role in the development of the nation’s economy.

“It is a critical component of our nation’s economy, and is essential to exploiting globally available opportunities for the resolution of the challenges of the sector,” Adamu said.

Adamu added that the water sanitation sector offered immense opportunities for investment, job creation and poverty reduction.

He said that the existence of this potential was probably the major equally significant resource in the sector.

Adamu noted that in spite of the generally acknowledged substantial investments in the sector, much more needs to be done to improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for citizens.

According to him, the sector is also beset with myriad of challenges, mainly infrastructure, capacity, as well as full service delivery.

Adamu said that in 2022, stakeholders found investment opportunities, estimated at about $3.8 billion in those sectors.

According to him, this represents a significant opportunity that drives innovations and investments and allows opportunities to integrate creative solutions that would contribute to the resolution of identified challenges.

“This initiative will further strengthen governance, improve access to safe water, sanitation and services to all Nigerians.

“Through this initiative, the country’s voice will be among those countries that have developed local innovative solutions in addressing challenges of the sector,” he noted.

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