Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon launches at CHOGM 2022

June 22nd, 2022

The Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon was officially launched on the 21st June 2022 at the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF 2022), held in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali.

The Hackathon is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Connectivity Agenda (CCA) and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).

The Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon themed “Harnessing Technology to Transform the Digital Trade Economy” aims to scout, select and support impact-driven teams with game-changing solutions that aims to address the shift to increased digital technology, as we strive to achieve a fairer and more frictionless international trade system across the Commonwealth and beyond.

There is no returning to December 2019 and while trade is recovering, there are many more opportunities for fostering digital trade. This Hackathon will challenge you to re-imaging trade – examine the existing barriers to digital trade and developing software solutions to overcome them. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is pleased to be a partner with the Commonwealth Secretariat to convene this Hackathon.

This endeavour is part of our push to support The Commonwealth’s Connectivity Agenda, to explore and develop technologies that can facilitate cross border paperless trade. This project will bring together finance and technology innovators and major technology institutions. The winner of the Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon will receive a cash prize as well as entrepreneurial support. Secretary General Bernadette Lewis, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

The objective of this Hackathon is harness innovation and channel this into digital and other solutions that can augment digital trade facilitation and serve as serve as catalysts to support sustainable economic recovery. Proposed solutions will therefore seek to explore existing, or innovate new, technologies to identify creative ways to facilitate trade and cross border paperless trade. This event also provides an ideal opportunity to engage young entrepreneurs, academics and digital visionaries across the Commonwealth to become part of the solution core in driving the process forward.

The Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon is open to teams with scale-ready solutions that want to accelerate their impact. Among the solutions that this hackathon seeks to come up with are:

increasing accessibility to reduce barriers to trade through efficient digital infrastructure;
promoting inclusive growth, including experience sharing, digital skills development and industrial upskilling;
improving agricultural and fisheries connectivity; and
promoting business to business partnerships that support inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.

How to join

Unlike most Hackathons, the Commonwealth’s will feature scale-ready solutions. Teams will have 48 hours to prepare and present their exiting tech solution. Submission is through the Digital Hack Platform and hybrid presentation before the awarding in October. Workshops, mentorship and learning sessions are available throughout the event.

The delivery of the Hackathon is supported by Impact Hub. Sandra Akariza from Impact Hub Kigali, announced the timeline of the event. “This is a real opportunity for teams with proven solutions to make a huge difference to Commonwealth citizens by scaling their solutions internationally,” she said.

The winner of the Commonwealth Digital Trade Hackathon will receive exciting prizes and the unique opportunity to receive support to scale their solution across the Commonwealth.

E-mail the CCA team for more information about the Hackathon or to register interest in participating.