Innovating from Home: What MESTers have been up to during COVID-19
This post was written by MEST Entrepreneur-In-Training Portfolio, Gugu Kheswa.
While many people are running out of things to do while cooped up in their houses, our MEST Entrepreneurs-In-Training have been busy making moves and creating impact during COVID-19. To celebrate this, we have compiled a list of the exciting projects they have created since the MEST community moved all events and activities digitally. Be sure to attend events, join the communities, and participate in all the awesome projects that they are doing!
Made In Ghana Github Repository
Created by Lotanna Nwose, this directory is designed to house a comprehensive list of web projects and tools created by developers in Ghana. It is inspired by its sister project which is the widely known Made in Nigeria GitHub repository
To kickstart this repository, the inaugural projects are all centered around COVID-19 related solutions and created by MEST Entrepreneur-In-Training. Check out Lotanna’s handy browser extension that provides handy safety tips from the World Health Organisation.
Afrikathon — Africa’s Largest Pan African Hackathon | 11–16 May 2020
Afrikathon is the largest Pan African hackathon on a mission to evolve the next generation of learners, and inventors in Africa using hackathons. Given that there are over a third of educated African youths that are unemployed or underemployed due to lack of technical expertise, experience, or opportunities; while there is an increasing demand for a digitally skilled workforce.
Afrikathon is an initiative created to address that by providing a platform to ideate and innovate around how to solve this problem.
This hackathon is unique in that it brings together developers, designers, business developers, project managers, and tech enthusiasts from Kenya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria to work on a common solution remotely. In order to participate, one needs to have completed the IBM Design Thinking course and be a certified Design Thinking Practitioner, to encourage a different approach to problem-solving.
In the midst of the increased remote work requirements, this remote hackathon is fitting as it allows collaboration across the continent. Participants will communicate via Slack and a panel of experienced judges will select the winners. What are the prizes for the winners? Over $12,000 worth in giveaways, cash, credits with more benefits to be announced soon. The event will run from 11–16 May 2020. You can sign up here to participate. To partner with the or for more information you can contact Andrew Miracle at hello@afrikathon.org.
Tech With Vivian Digital Skills Training | 15 May 2020
Tech with Vivian is a digital skills training program organized by Grey Africa to help youth get equipped with technological skills such as software development during the time of this COVID-19 pandemic. During this course, you will learn the basics of front end web design which will equip you to take your coding career further.
What you will learn:
- HTML
- CSS
- Bootstrap
- Javascript
- Figma
Their mission is to introduce young people to the world of software development as a tool for curbing unemployment. At the end of the training class, the top-ten active participants will get a mentor to help strengthen their skills and be able to start working on actual client projects. We hope to raise youths who are self- employed, self-sufficient, and self-dependent.
The program is scheduled to hold only on weekends until the 15th of May 2020. It will run virtually on their various social media platforms. Sign up here.
Contact Vivian for more information at Grey Africa Hub.
The Future of Travel Webinar Series by Hello Africa Travel | 8–22 May 2020
With tourism being a major industry that is hit hard by the impact of COVID-19, travel businesses have to find a way to adjust to the changing business environment. Hello Africa Travel is a travel and tourism consultancy that helps travel businesses grow better, and is currently hosting a series of industry-facing webinars to discuss pertinent issues facing travel businesses.
The first webinar of the month is titled ‘Influencing Your Tourism Organisation’s Ability To Embrace Change’. This webinar will delve into tactics that small business owners are using to digitally transform their organization — and what you can do to be your own force for change at your company. 2020 is undoubtedly a year of change, with an economic slump looming and the uncertainty of the Coronavirus 19 pandemic causing concern. Adapting to this new climate, both at the organization and market level, is key to success to grow your business.
Contact Gugu Kheswa for more information at gugu@helloafricatravel.com
Register for the webinar here.
Career Boosters with Work Arena
Olanrewaju Adeoye has been working on a project called Career Boosters. Career Boosters is a platform that equips professionals with career tips, resources, and tools needed to accelerate their trajectory in their careers.
The platform was borne from a need that she had identified while working on her HR consulting company; Workarena. Throughout her HR career, Olanrewaju found that many job-seeking candidates sent unprofessional CVs and cover letters and were not assertive during job interviews. Career Boosters was launched to fill this gap. In the wake of COVID-19, the platform has intensified efforts to ensure that career professionals are equipped to get the job they want or keep the jobs they have.
Contact them at info@workarenang.com for more information.
Good Reads
Interested in finding a mentor? Mary Abiodun takes an in-depth look at this in her interview with fellow Entrepreneur-In-Training Jean-Phillipe Boungou about the ins and outs of finding a good mentor. You can read the article here.
Uche Orjinta speaks about the importance of personal growth and social impact in this insightful read.
Check out more amazing articles from the MEST Community here.
As we continue to live and adjust to life in lockdown, we can look forward to developing our skills, growing our businesses, and making the most of this time. Entrepreneurs-In-Ts have continued to push their dreams forward and most of all, doing all these while staying safe indoors.
