Kigali, October 15, 2025 — The Rwanda TVET Board, through the Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA) Capacity Development Project supported by KOICA, hosted the 3rd edition of the RCA Hackathon, bringing together brilliant young innovators from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools across the country. The event provided a platform for students to demonstrate their creativity, technical expertise, and problem-solving abilities through self-designed ICT projects addressing real-world challenges.

Unlike the previous two editions, this year’s Hackathon featured a more diverse and competitive pool of 20 teams comprising 96 students from various schools, including Rwanda Coding Academy, Nyanza TSS, APEKI Tumba TSS, ESSA Nyarugunga, Saint Laurent Gaseke TSS, and Rugando TSS.

Throughout the event, contestants presented their projects before a panel of judges who evaluated them based on innovation, impact, and practicality. The top three teams were recognized for their outstanding contributions to solving real-world problems:

• 1st Place – Smarten: A water management system featuring leak detection sensors and real-time dashboards for users and utility organizations.
• 2nd Place – ROFAND: A digital recovery platform for lost items and documents, enabling secure and efficient communication between owners and finders.
• 3rd Place – FortiCore: An automated penetration testing tool for networks and web applications, designed to help organizations identify and report vulnerabilities efficiently.

Beyond competition, the Hackathon fostered collaboration and learning, offering students the opportunity to engage with industry experts, receive mentorship, and gain valuable insights into how technology can drive innovation within Rwanda’s ICT and TVET ecosystem.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Mr. Mwizerwa Jean Claude, Deputy Director General at the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), who applauded the participants for their creativity, teamwork, and commitment to innovation. He emphasized that “the country’s future rests in the hands of young innovators who are shaping solutions to address today’s challenges.”

Introduced in 2023 with the aim of bridging the industry and digital skills gap through TVET, the RCA Hackathon continues to play a pivotal role in nurturing Rwanda’s next generation of ICT innovators. By linking education, technology, and industry, the initiative contributes to strengthening the country’s TVET system and advancing Rwanda’s vision of a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.