8 months ago

Judge's Remark

Salam,

Below are general remarks on the submssions from one of the judges, Abdulhadi Elhussain. You can connect with him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdulhadielhussain/.

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In reviewing the submissions for the Code4Sudan competition, I noticed several recurring themes and areas for improvement among the participants:

1. Missing Business and Functional Context

Many submissions tended to focus heavily on the technical or demo aspect of the project, but often lacked a clear presentation of the core business value. In other words, while teams defined the problem and solution, they often didn’t demonstrate a minimal viable product (MVP) that truly showed how the solution would function in a real-world setting.

2. Software as Just One Part of the Solution

Another key observation was that many participants assumed the entire solution had to be purely software-based. They often missed the fact that software might only be one component. For instance, logistics and delivery challenges were often left unaddressed, even when these were crucial parts of the proposed solution. Addressing these non-software aspects would have added more realism and depth.

3. Reliance on External Entities

Participants sometimes proposed solutions that depended on collaboration with entities they couldn’t control, such as government bodies. This created a challenge because these dependencies weren’t realistically addressed. It would have been helpful if participants considered more controllable or reliable elements within their solutions.

4. The Financial Challenge in Sudan

Finally, many solutions involved some form of financial component or integration. Given the complexities of the financial landscape in Sudan, this was a particularly challenging area. Participants often didn’t outline how they would navigate or innovate around these financial hurdles.

Conclusion

In summary, while the technical demos were solid, it would have been more impactful if participants highlighted how they planned to address these broader business, logistical, and financial aspects. A more balanced presentation would make the solutions more feasible and convincing overall.