The final phase of the competition, which pitted 140 IT development projects against each other, ended with three teams being crowned champions on March 27.

The first edition of the Hacktone of Kribi ended on March 27 in Kribi. The competition organized by the Autonomous Port of Kribi (PAK) rewarded the three best projects out of the 10 finalists. Innovative Clan won the competition and a check for one million CFA francs. The second team is Geo advantage, which received 500,000 CFA francs while the third team, Team Bolloré, was satisfied with 300,000 CFA francs. In addition to this financial support, "the first project will also benefit from a three to six month support", announced Habib Iya, head of the commercial and marketing department of the Autonomous Port of Kribi.

These teams were called to propose software projects or applications dedicated to improving the quality of service of this port platform.

Of the 140 teams that applied from February 15 to March 7, a first selection phase allowed 35 teams to be retained for the second phase. "The selection criteria were based on the project's contribution to the logistics management of the PAK and or its partners," an official source at the port said. This was followed by the second phase of the competition, held on 24 March. It saw the emergence of the first 10 finalists who were: "Aef Tech, Alain web Creator start-up, Excellogistic, Geo-Advantage Innovative Clan, Pegasus, Team Bolloré, Techies Bot, Wobevi and Nashma", informs the list of finalists published by the PAK.

The third phase consisted of another presentation of the projects in front of the members of the Jury, during a ceremony organized for the occasion. The 10 teams defended their solutions again, this time before a jury composed of logistics professionals and various port services, including Norbert Belinga, Head of the South 2 Customs Sector and Mikael Mama Awoumou, PAK's Director of Operations.

The expected objective at the end of this competition and the subsequent support phase is to challenge the recurring problems of the port ecosystem using computer intelligence in order to develop innovative, modern and efficient solutions to all, specifically to customers, partners and even the port. "It is also an opportunity to bring the Port closer to its environment and to interest the youth in this jewel," said the head of the commercial and marketing department, launching the competition last February 15.

The ceremony last Saturday was an opportunity for these young people to make guided tours of the Autonomous Port of Kribi.    

Source : camerounweb