Accelerating Tech Innovation: Yango and Zindi Announce Winners of 2024 Lusaka Mobility Hackathon

The just ended 2024 Lusaka Mobility Prediction Hackathon, hosted by Zindi and powered by Yango Group, a global tech company creating daily services, united data science enthusiasts to address urban mobility challenges using real-world traffic data. Participants engaged with challenges designed by Yango’s data science team, competing for financial prizes awarded to the top three performers. This year’s edition was held online as well as at the University of Lusaka (UNILUS) and Unicaf campuses, attracting over 200 participants and surpassing last year’s turnout. The challenge focused on predicting traffic patterns and understanding how weather-related conditions influence urban mobility in Lusaka.

The event was graced by Dr. Larry Mweetwa, a Director from the Ministry of Technology and Science, who stated: “The Ministry is fully committed to supporting programs like this that harness academic knowledge with critical hands-on experience. Zambia’s future depends on nurturing innovators and providing pathways for them to make meaningful impact. This event is one of the many steps we are taking to create opportunities for young leaders in technology. What makes this hackathon particularly remarkable is its focus on addressing real-world challenges. As you tackle issues in mobility and urban planning, you are contributing to solutions that will make our cities smarter, safer and more efficient”.

Meet The Winners

The overall winner was Earl Johnson, a student at the University of Lusaka. Inspired by his 11th-place finish in last year’s hackathon, Earl returned with greater insight into developing impactful solutions under time pressure, especially in data science and mobility prediction.

“The main goal was to build a model that accurately predicted ride times, considering spatial and weather-related factors,” Earl shared. “Many other factors could have been used to determine the target in the dataset and as such, I considered the weather element and distance elements in my solution. I used a random forest regressor and, despite initial setbacks on the leaderboard, adjustments to my model helped me reach the top.”

This experience taught Earl how data science can drive practical solutions for urban mobility. He added: “I saw how predictive modeling helps platforms like Yango Ride make real-time decisions that improve efficiency for both drivers and riders. My advice for future participants is to focus on learning over perfection due to the intense nature of hackathons.”

On his win, Earl said: “Technology and data science can create jobs, empower local businesses, and drive innovation in Zambia. Embracing data-driven approaches can accelerate development and enhance quality of life.”

Geoffrey Zulu, a Software Engineer at PulseWave Digitals, and Jeffrey Mdala, a UNICAF student, won second and third place, demonstrating accuracy and speed. Jeffrey, an aspiring AI Engineer, valued the hackathon as a chance to refine his skills and explore cutting-edge methods. The best student award went to Mutale Musona, an undergraduate at UNILUS who improved from 15th place in 2023.

This year’s hackathon is part of Yango’s broader tech and educational CSR initiatives, including the Yango Education Program, which offered free data analytics courses, and the Yango Fellowship Program, launched with the Zambian National STEM Foundation. This Fellowship Program will support outstanding university STEM students across Zambia with mentorship opportunities and guidance from industry experts and mentors, professional development through exclusive workshops and networking events and financial support per year.

About Yango Group

Yango Group is a tech company that transforms global technologies into everyday services tailored for local communities. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, the company reshapes and enhances leading cutting-edge technologies from around the world into seamlessly integrated daily services for diverse regions.

Their mission is to bridge the gap between leading world innovations and local communities, fostering connections and enhancing everyday living experiences.      

For more information, please contact: pr@yango.com