R25 000 Prize for 1st Code4Democracy Hackathon

The Open Data and Democracy Initiative (ODADI) coalition is hosting its first 48-hour Code4Democracy Hackathon.

Digital activists, designers, developers and data journalists will kickstart South Africa’s open data movement from 4-5 August 2012 in Cape Town at a 48-hour hackathon to build web and software applications that will help make government more accountable.

The Code4Democracy event is the first public gathering hosted by the new ODADI (Open Data & Democracy Initiative) coalition, and will offer R25 000 in cash prizes and tech support for ideas that have the potential to empower ordinary citizens, make government more transparent, or make public services more efficient and open.

The initiative echos similar campaigns that have revolutionised the way that civic debate and public accountability works everywhere from Kenya and Ghana, to further north in the USA and Europe. ODADI hopes to build on South Africa’s early support for theOpen Government Partnership, by inspiring a grassroots data-driven movement in South Africa, giving ordinary citizens the tools and information they need to make better informed choices about public issues.

ODADI is a broad-based volunteer-led non-partisan movement, that bases its principles on the Constitution, and does not align itself with any political party or other political interest group.

The Code4Democracy hackathon has been made possible via a seed grant from the African Media Initiative’s prototype fund for civic engagement, as well as through logistic support from the Open Society Foundation’s Money & Politics Project (MaPP) and venue and material support from Cape Town’s Ndifuna Ukwazi center for active citizenship.

HacksHackers Cape Town is a founding member of ODADI and a lead organiser of the Code4Democracy hackathon. Other ODADI coalition members assisting with the Code4Democracy hackathon include the Open Democracy Advice Centre, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, the Right2Know campaign, and the Silicon Cape initiative.

To read the article titled, “Gustav Praekelt to deliver keynote at Code4Democracy,” click here.