Accountability Lab and CIPE launch #HackCorruption with U.S. Department of State

HackCorruption is a hybrid Tech4Good event from 22 to 24 July in South Africa that aims to bring people together to co-create anti-corruption solutions.

WASHINGTON D.C., DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, June 17, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Accountability Lab (AL) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) are preparing to host 100 virtual and in-person participants in South Africa for an innovative anti-corruption hackathon. HackCorruption is a hybrid Tech4Good event scheduled for July 22 to 24 in Johannesburg that aims to bring people together to co-create anti-corruption solutions. Participants will be welcomed from South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya. The hackathon is being hosted by AL and CIPE with support from the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) at the U.S. Department of State through the Anti-Corruption Solutions Through Emerging Technologies (ASET) program. ASET advances the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption and is being undertaken in conjunction with the Summit for Democracy Year of Action.

The overall goal for the hackathon is to prevent, deter, and combat corruption by stimulating the innovative application of technology to address accountability gaps and build systemic integrity. There are four problem sets that the hackathon will cover: (1) beneficial ownership transparency; (2) open contracting and transparency in public procurement; (3) the accountable use of digital technologies; and (4) promoting digital citizenship to constrain corruption.

Registration is open to individuals or teams until July 1, 2022. Virtual training for all 100 participants will kick off on July 14, and the hackathon itself will take place from July 22 to 24, where participants will have an opportunity to take home seed funding of up to $10,000. Skills Hustle will be providing the platform in which participants will learn new skills, engage with their teams, and network with peers.

“INL is proud to support the Africa-regional hackathon hosted by AL and CIPE in Johannesburg to prevent, deter, and combat corruption,” said INL Assistant Secretary Todd D. Robinson. “I look forward to seeing what the participants can create through the collaborative application of technology!”

AL Director Blair Glencorse said the project aims to bring together a diverse collective of young people to unearth new tools to bridge accountability gaps in the focus areas identified. “Corruption is a global, systemic problem that requires collective responses if it is to be dealt with effectively. New technologies such as blockchain, civic tech tools and big data have revolutionized the capacity of governments, businesses and other stakeholders to track transactions, build new algorithms, engage citizens in oversight and improve decision-making. HackCorruption will build on these innovations in the African context, developing practical tools that will be made freely available to governments and other public and private institutions in the region,” Glencorse commented.

Fifteen participants from Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Kenya will receive fully-funded trips to Johannesburg to join the hackathon teams, with others joining from South Africa or virtually. Winning teams will be supported to bring their ideas to fruition, under the tutelage of expert mentors from the region and abroad.

CIPE’s Director of the Anti-Corruption & Governance Center, Frank Brown, said: “By fostering competition between some of the best and brightest hacker minds on the continent, CIPE is expecting to see innovation that will benefit the entire global anti-corruption community. If this works in Johannesburg, I could see pushing it out to other places with ample hacker talent – and corruption.”

Skills Hustle’s Dr Melissa Sassi said she was looking forward to enabling youth to prepare for the future of work, supporting their journeys of fighting corruption in their respective communities, and seeing whose solutions emerge successful.

Applications are encouraged from people older than 18 with experience working in diverse sectors and who are passionate about fighting corruption and strengthening transparency and integrity using emerging technology solutions.

Applicants should be a citizen of one of the 6 target countries of Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa or Zambia. US citizens or lawful permanent residents are not eligible.

Teams and individuals are invited to apply. For further information, visit www.hackcorruption.org.

Disclaimer: This initiative is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of Accountability Lab and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.

About Accountability Lab:
Accountability Lab is a global translocal network that makes governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our goal is a world in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives.

About CIPE:
CIPE works with local partners to craft business-driven solutions to social-economic problems that affect millions of people. Working with our local partners that include business associations, chambers of commerce, think tanks, universities and advocacy organizations, CIPE is helping create the enabling environment for business to thrive and has more than 200 projects on the ground in over 80 countries.

ENDS

Sheena Adams
Accountability Lab
+27 83 411 3161
[email protected]
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