Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTC) successfully hosted its Innovation Day 2024, a landmark event dedicated to driving digital transformation and fostering innovation within the ICT sector. Held at the BTC Headquarters, Megaleng House, the event brought together industry leaders, Government officials, innovators, and stakeholders to discuss and showcase the latest advancements in technology and innovation. Additionally, a panel discussion was held under the topic “Leveraging on the power of collaborative innovation to unlock opportunities in a digital economy”. Panelists used this session to share their insights, experiences and inspiration for thinking outside the box. BTC is committed to evolving from a traditional telecommunications company (Telco) into a technology company (Digital Business) through its digital transformation strategy. This strategy aims to transform the company’s culture and services to meet the needs of the modern digital customer, ensuring that BTC remains relevant and competitive in the fast-evolving digital landscape.
“Our dedication to fostering a culture of innovation within BTC is unwavering. We are committed to adopting cutting-edge technologies and developing new digital services that cater to the dynamic needs of our customers. Moreover, BTC’s Innovation Day aligns with Botswana’s national vision of becoming a digitally transformed, knowledge-based economy. Hosting events such as the BTC Innovation Day, not only showcases our commitment to innovation but also supports the broader agenda of socio-economic development and competitiveness in the global digital economy,” said the Managing Director for BTC, Anthony Masunga.
The event featured a panel discussion with representatives from Loca
Enterpreunership Authority (LEA), Brainstream and BTC, the panelists shared valuable insights on industry challenges and opportunities, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and innovation in driving growth. Attendees were also treated to an innovation offering showcase, where BTC’s latest digital services and technologies were on display. The showcase highlighted BTC’s dedication to adopting cutting-edge technologies and developing new digital solutions to cater to the dynamic needs of its customers.
A significant milestone of the day was the official opening of BTC’s new innovation suite. The suite/lab will serve as a hub for innovation, providing a space for developing and testing new technologies and solutions. BTC also recognised and awarded the winners of the hackathon that was launched during the Botswana Innovation Day 2023. The hackathon finalists took the challenge to develop a health inventory management system that can address challenges faced by the health sector and extend those functionalities to Botswana citizens.
The top three finalists were awarded as follows; TwoSix scooped 1st position, walking away with a cash price of P30.000.00, LTE 10Mbps Prepaid 12 months, Free Smega account & prepaid visa card, BTC mobile airtime valued at P600.00, and the commercialisation of their solution. Yortek took 2nd position and walked away with a cash price of P20,000.00, LTE 10Mbps Prepaid 6 months, BTC Mobile airtime valued at P300.00 and a free Smega accounts & prepaid visa card. The 3rd position went to Apex team who walked away with cash price of P15,000.00, LTE 10Mbps Prepaid 3 months, BTC mobile airtime valued at P300.00 and a free Smega account & prepaid visa card. Additionally, all top 10 finalists will receive training and incubation for a period of six (6) months.