Footwear Academy wins Made-in-Aba Hackathon challenge

The event was designed to proffer solution to challenges currently faced by Aba entrepreneurs, especially in the finished leather, garment and steel fabricating clusters, the Vanguard reports. It organised by TBWA\Concept, a marketing communications firm and sponsored by Ford Foundation, is in continuation of the Proudly Made-in Aba campaign.

It was also an initiative to promote the locally produced goods in the commercial city centre of Abia state. Aba is home to over 80,000 tailors, 70,000 shoemakers and 30,000 fabricators.

The Academy won the challenge with a solution to upgrade the skills of Aba shoemakers to enable them to improve the quality of their products using modern equipment and technology.

Speaking, Bentley Chukwuemeka, co-founder, The Footwear Academy, stated that their plan is to introduce Aba shoemakers to modern technology, to enable them to speed up production.

The Footwear Academy also intends to reduce the apprenticeship period from five years to six months. For their effort, which was considered to be the best by a panel of judges made up of seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals, Footwear Academy won a sum of $50,000.00.

Clintonel Technology came 2nd with a cash prize of $30,000 with a solution to digitalise and automate the metal fabrication process in Aba, through Computer Aided Design, CAD and Computer Aided Manufacturing, CAM.

The technology, according to Tochukwu Chukwueke a co-founder of the company, would help shoe manufacturers and metal fabricators in Aba reduce production cost, increase production speed, multiply production volume, improve finishing and generate more revenue.

The 3rd prize of $20,000 went to Ogwugo Technologies, an online marketing platform, designed to handle trade activities between buyers and sellers in broad categories. They undertake delivery of foods, gas, retail of clothes and shoes, bulk orders for goods among others.

Source: Vanguard