The Second Technology Innovation Challenge for Girls held

Technovation Ethiopia held the second regional pitching and closing ceremony of the 2018 Technovation challenge on May 12, 2018 at Sapphire Addis Hotel. Seventeen  teams of girls from 17 different schools and TVET Colleges participated in this tech challenge and presented their pitch in front of judges, invited guests and parents. Technovation offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. Girls from age10 to 18 learn to identify a problem in their community and create a mobile app solution to address that problem, and they also learn how to communicate these ideas and translate them into a fully launched business.
For 2018, Synergy Habesha Films and Communications P.L.C in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology, German Development Cooperation implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale  Zuammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP)organized this program. The opening speech was delivered by the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology deputy minister Dr. ShumeteGizaw. In 2018 competition more than 90 students participated. The judges were pulled from the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology, Deutsche  Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zuammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP) and private sector of information, communication and technology. The applications developed by the participants focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes education, health and  environment  as key subject matters. The tech challenge had four stages: ideation, coding, entrepreneurship and marketing and pitching. Ethiopia became an own chapter in the Technovation Challenge by sending 18 Ethiopian Technovation teams to the Global Technovation competition. Through Technovation, girls develop key 21st century skills and competencies including: critical thinking, creativity, grit, collaboration, initiative, problem solving, communication, curiosity, persistence and adaptability.