IREN Launches Technologies and Innovation Challenge – 2018 (ITIC2018) for 13 Lake Region Economic Block Counties

The Inter Region Economic Network has launched the IREN Technologies and Innovations Challenge-2018 (ITIC2018) in partnership with the Dar es Salaam based Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The ITIC2018 targets13 counties that form the Lake Region Economic Bloc. This follows a 2 month study in the region that focused on the use of technologies and innovations to bolster food security in the region.

The ITIC2018 Challenge is the Fourth edition of the on-going IREN focus on food security topic. In 2014 IREN managed a youth in agribusiness idea challenge that involved 22 Sub-Saharan Africa countries dubbed Agribiz4Africa; the Young Innovators in Agribusiness that focused on youth from East Africa and Ethiopia in 2015 and the East Africa Postharvest Technologies Challenge in 2016 – 2017.

What is different this time? The ITIC2018 Challenge will facilitate the formation of County- based Solution Hubs. Each of the Solution Hub will take participants through the processes of identifying a challenge, developing solutions, developing prototypes and to pitch to potential partners and financiers. The competition will be between County Solution Hubs.  

Entries are expected from individuals (aged 18 years and above who reside in the Lake region economic basin counties and have attained at least secondary school education). These will later join IREN County Solution Hubs to develop Technology and Innovation Solutions. The County Solution Hubs will compete and the top providers of scalable technologies and solutions will be invited in the IREN Technologies and Innovations Trade Fair.

“The ITIC 2018 has been structured to produce home-grown solutions that can be easily adopted by communities to help solve food security challenges,” says Leonard Mwasi, Programme Manager, ITIC 2018.

IREN welcomes Institutions and established companies that showcase scalable food security compatible technologies and innovations to participate in the final ITIC2018 Trade Fair to be held later in November 2018.  

For more information, contact Leonard  [email protected]  0728 725 722

or Simon [email protected]  0703 448 978.

About the partners 

IREN: The Inter Region Economic Network Ltd (IREN) is a leading independent African think tank that promotes ideas and strategies geared towards causing prosperity in Africa through free enterprise and sound public policy. IREN has managed business competitions and enterprise screening platforms for the last 15 years. It has 3 Key Focus Areas: Think Tank: with platforms that analyze and give suggestions on public policy innovation to promote prosperity and wealth creation in Africa; Enterprise Development: with platforms that grow investible and investor ready enterprises in Africa; and Consultancy whose aim is to grow productivity and markets in Africa.

Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is the foundation  for liberal politics in the Federal Republic of Germany. It aims to promote the principle of freedom valid for the dignity of all people and in all areas of society, both in Germany and abroad.

In East Africa the foundation supports development of think tanks that network liberal thinkers, comes up with shared concepts for development and progress by working with liberal partner organisations in the political realm as well as civil society. The foundation is also working on a project to promote secure property rights with the aim of improving food security in the country.