TotalEnergies, a major energy company, has recognized and rewarded the most promising clean energy proposals in a recent hackathon competition. Organized by Outbox Uganda, this event witnessed over 400 young Ugandans, aged 18 to 45, participating in the competition, which spanned from July to September 2023.
The competition began with an extensive evaluation of all applications. Following this initial phase, a shortlist was created, consisting of 16 teams, each composed of four members. These teams were tasked with developing innovative concepts utilizing data related to Kampala City’s roads, electricity infrastructure, and traffic networks.
In addition to these valuable data resources, the competing teams received mentorship and coaching to refine their proposals. These ideas were subsequently presented to a panel of judges, who assessed them using a variety of criteria, including the innovativeness of the ideas, team composition, the quality of presentations, and how well the proposals fit within a business context. The top four teams emerged from this selection process.
The award ceremony, held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, celebrated these innovative ideas. Team TBKN clinched the top spot, receiving a cash prize of Shs 18.5 million. Their winning concept involved leveraging artificial intelligence and an online map-based system to develop a tool that identifies electric vehicle charging stations throughout Kampala.
Team ISBAT University secured second place and a cash prize of Shs 11.1 million. Their proposal integrated Python programming and geospatial analysis to establish a sustainable and accessible network of electric vehicle charging points within Kampala. This initiative not only promotes the adoption of electric vehicles but also minimizes disruptions to the city’s infrastructure.
Two teams, Data Knight and Shalom, shared the third position, with each team receiving Shs 3.7 million in recognition of their innovative ideas.
Philippe Grouex, the General Manager of Total Energies EP Uganda, emphasized the importance of innovation in addressing the contemporary challenge of carbon neutrality. He mentioned that TotalEnergies is part of an energy cluster focused on e-mobility think tanks and actively supports innovation aligned with e-mobility. The hackathon was implemented to provide young individuals with a platform to propose ideas that facilitate e-mobility in Kampala, reflecting the company’s commitment to youth inclusion.
