The Context Rapid urbanization in the region led to waste management issues, with uncollected trash piling up in residential estates.

The Challenge Residents didn’t know when garbage trucks would arrive, and collection companies couldn’t optimize routes because they didn’t know which bins were full. There was a disconnect between the service providers and the citizens.

The Solution Africa Tech Space hosted the “Civic Hacks” Weekend, a 48-hour collaborative hackathon.

• The Collaboration: We brought together students, local government officials, and software engineers.

• The Build: A team developed a USSD-based notification system (accessible on any phone) where residents could report full bins, generating a heat map for collectors.

The Impact

• Adoption: The prototype was adopted by a local waste management association.

• Community Engagement: Over 1,500 households utilized the USSD code in the pilot phase.

• Innovation Culture: The hackathon proved that local tech talent could solve local civic problems when given the space to collaborate.

Testimonial: “I came to Africa Tech Space with a problem, not a solution. The community here rallied together and built a tool that is cleaning up our streets.” — Community Chairman, Lanet Area