Africa IoT & AI Challenge 2021

AFRICA IOT & AI CHALLENGE 2021 LAUNCHED

The 2021 edition of the Africa IoT & AI Challenge has been launched in Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, and Uganda after opening ceremonies were held for the respective countries in July.

The challenge is a regional capacity-

building and pre-incubation programme for senior university students and startups that have innovative ideas in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT) & Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related fields that will enable and leverage a smart future. The Africa IoT & AI Challenge was first held in Egypt in 2016, before expanding to Tunisia and Morocco in 2020. This year's edition will see it being held in five new African countries, namely Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Rwanda.

Participants first compete on the local level, followed by regional finals in which winners from each country meet. The regional finals are held annually as part of the activities of the IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IEEE GCAIoT).

The challenge is owned by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) sponsored by Benya and organised in collaboration with WAKANDAI Ventures.

The challenge is organised in each country by a national committee that brings together a number of government and private agencies. The Nigeria challenge comes with the support of the Federal Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy, and National Information Technology Development Agency. In Kenya, the challenge comes with the support of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and Konza Technopolis, while the Uganda challenge is sponsored by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and National Guidance, and National Information Technology Authority, with a number of universities such as Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU), Kampala International University, and Soroti University. In Tunisia, the challenge is organised by Novation City, a public-private programme by the Ministry of Industry.

The challenge is aimed at startups and university students with ideas around:

 Smart Buildings  Smart Homes  Smart Agriculture  Smart Transportation  Fintech  Automative  Energy  Healthcare  Education  Smart Manufacturing  Retail and ECommerce

The challenge organisers describe it as not just being a competition, but as a digital transformation movement which delivers training and workshops to participants, providing them with support.

With a vision towards developing an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Africa IoT & AI Challenge provides all the technical and logistical support to the participating youth starting from equipping them with advanced technical information in the fields of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to supporting innovative projects and startups to be ready for investment. The programme also established the ‘IoT & AI Knowledge Hub’, a knowledge complex that provides online workshops, lectures and online learning resources for the IoT & AI community in Africa. Through the hub, the participants learn from the success stories of African engineers and developers working in giant technology companies, and follow their steps to grow in their own careers.

Challenge participants send to benefit from:

 Technical mentorship  Investment opportunities (for selected startups)  Networking with top-notch companies, academia, industry leaders, and government representatives  Advanced educational technical content  Access to international conferences  Access to local digital fabrication labs  Access to the AIoT Africa Community

Those interested in joining the challenge can check out the challenge proposal here and register here.