Benjamin Babine, Abuja
Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) have on Friday launched the first edition of Hackathon ActinSpace Challenge to help drive innovative ideas in the Nigerian space sector.
In attendance to flag off the initiative, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami said the challenge will promote digital skills, services, and indigenous content in line with the National Digital Policy and Strategy.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Dr Abimbola Alale, said the challenge seeks to expose the average Nigerian to undiscovered possibilities and solutions in the Nigeria space sector.
She said: “the challenge would promote skills development in our youth, serve as platform for networking and exposure. We have to be futuristic in thinking, these challenges provides opportunity for us to provide solutions to present challenge and look forward to the future.”
Alale, noting that it was the first time youths were participating in the event, urged young participants who were selected from all over the country from the ages of 18 to 85, to strive hard in contributing to the digital economy using the space sector.
“The space sector seem very far to common man yet we are very important. so the challenge should be beneficial to the common man, we should focus more on real life challenges in our country. Let’s expand our Eco system, value chain, we have been too limited in our space sector,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Director General, National Space Research Development Agency (NASRD), Mr Francis Chizea, represented by the Director, Space Application, Mr James Godstime said the youth had a vital role in the space sector due to their advisory role. He urged the youth to make use of opportunities to develop ideas, and recommendations that would help Nigeria compete in the global space.