Co-Creation Hub(CcHub) Nigeria Launches TechSQUAD to Support Free and Fair Elections in 2015
As the impact of technology is becoming very significant and also relevant in different aspects of life in Africa, Nigeria’s foremost technology innovation centre, Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) through their Social Change Lab has launched TechSQUAD.
According to the brief made available to us recently, TechSQUAD is a network of highly skilled and professional software developers, designers and internet security experts who will work with top Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to build and grow innovative IT tools to make the 2015 General Election work.
With only a few months left to the 2015 elections and amid the current socio-political climate of the country, it has never been more important to return confidence in our democracy. To this end, over the past few months CcHub has been speaking with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a number of NGOs on things that can be done to ensure that the next elections are seamlessly conducted.
A number of ideas leveraging technology have been suggested. These ideas include building IT tools for INEC and top Nigerian NGOs that will cover the entire election cycle from voter’s registration to voter’s education through to when the results are announced.
As mobile penetration continues to increase in the country, a large proportion of these solutions undertaken by TechSQUAD will rely on mobile phones and what it can do – including voice calls in multiple languages, SMS, browsing the Internet and mobile apps.
Co-Creation Hub’s Director of Programmes, Mr. Femi Longe states “Nigeria has abundant technology talent which should be used to deliver better elections that reflect the true will of the people. Through TechSQUAD, we will be using these skills to support the efforts of NGOs to make sure the outcomes of the 2015 elections are different for a change. We believe properly deployed technology can make the 2015 our best election and we plan to achieve that.”
With this TechSQUAD will be the largest single coalition of IT people in Nigeria focusing on one particular subject – the coming elections.