The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today addressed the valedictory session of UNESCO India Africa Hackathon as a Chief Guest at Gautam Buddha University, Uttar Pradesh. Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Smt Anandiben Patel; Union Education & Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan; Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, Agriculture Minister, UP, Mr. Vishal Sharma, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Mr Firmin Edouard Matoko, Ast Director General (PAX), UNESCO, Dr Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministers from 13 African countries, students and other dignitaries were present.
The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today underscored the civilizational connect and shared historical bond between India and Africa, and said that “we are neighbours across the Indian ocean”.
Addressing the valedictory session, the Vice President said that the event reflects close relations cherished by India and its African counterparts and embodies the spirit of collaboration – bringing them together to solve problems for the betterment of human kind. “This global Hackathon conveys the message that youth can come together to make a better world,” he added.
In his address, Shri Dhankhar referred to Mahatma Gandhi Ji’s close relationship with Africa and said that our age old civilizational ethos of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” continue to guide India’s engagement with the world.
Describing India as a favoured global destination for opportunities and investments, the Vice President said that a new culture of innovation based entrepreneurship is taking roots in India. Mentioning various initiatives such as Start-up India, Digital India, Bharat Net, PM Gatishakti Mission, and the Vice President commended the Government for creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and innovation to thrive.
Observing that technology has truly democratized governance by ushering in transparency and accountability in the system, Shri Dhankhar said that it helps us in achieving the ideal of inclusive and sustainable growth.
The Vice President gave away the prizes to the winners of Hackathon and told the young innovators that they are as much trustees to this planet as the people older to them. “Your proactive stance will secure everyone a better future,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan expressed his gratitude to the Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar and Governor, Smt. Anandi Ben Patel for guiding the innovators at the valedictory session of the UIAH. The Minister also thanked his counterparts from the 22 African nations for their esteemed presence. He said that the UNESCO India-Africa Hackathon is an initiative to bring together Indian and African talent to innovate for a better future. Innovation is the need of the hour, especially in the times we are living. He further said that India’s CoWIN App remains a shining example of innovation for the entire world where the entire vaccination process, from registration to final certification could be tracked online in real time. Each innovation in India benefits the world, especially the emerging economies, he added. The Minister highlighted that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the call of ‘Jai Anusandhan’ which are guiding our efforts to make research and innovation a way of life. UIAH is a platform for coming together to find solutions for issues faced by collaborating nations and also serves as a foundation to nurture innovative Start-ups for transforming the world. Initiatives like, UIAH advances the scope of cooperation, enriches cross-cultural exchanges, sows the seeds of leadership, creative thinking & entrepreneurship and strengthens the bonds of friendship, he added. He congratulated all the winners of the Hackathon and invited students from Africa to explore opportunities in India and Study in India.
Ministry of Education, External of Affairs, UNESCO and AICTE jointly organized UNESCO India Africa Hackathon from 22nd Nov to 25th Nov 2022 at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. The one of its kind UNESCO India Africa Hackathon started at 8:00 AM on 23rd November and commenced at 8:00 PM on 24th November, 2022. The UNESCO INDIA – AFRICA Hackathon is an annual 36 hours event that brings together students, educators, teachers, and the research community of India and its African partners to tackle the common challenges faced by their countries and serves as a facilitator for cultural amalgamation. The participating African countries are- Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Sierra-Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Under the central theme LiFE; the five sub themes chosen for the UIAH 2022 were- Education, Renewable Energy/Sustainability, Drinking water & Sanitation, Agriculture and Health & Hygiene. 603 participants from 22 African nations and the host country India, worked to provide solutions to the problems in these 5 areas of concern. 100 teams, with each team being a mix of African and Indian participants worked on the solutions for a total of 20 problem statements.
