TMB Sponsors Institut Français Goma

19.10.2017, Goma, DRC – TMB is delighted to have supported the creation in Goma of a new cultural centre for the Great Lakes Region, the Institut Français de Goma, or “Halle des Volcans”.

The inauguration of the Institut Français de Goma is taking place on Friday 20 October, in the presence of Mr Alain Rémy, Ambassador of France to the Democratic Republic of Congo, local and provincial authorities, TMB, and other sponsors.

The Institut Français of Goma is part of the worldwide network of overseas French cultural institutions. The global network of cultural cooperation brings together almost 100 French Institutes and 800 Alliances Françaises.

As with the Institut Français of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Bukavu, and the Alliance Française of Kisangani, the “Halle des Volcans” will be dedicated to supporting the francophone world in all its dimensions: linguistic, cultural, scholarly and academic, economic, and the francophone community within the United Nations.

The Institut Français of Goma is primarily aimed at the youth of the region. The Institute will focus on new technologies. With the support of French Tech entrepreneurs, who will travel to Goma, almost 70 young “developers” from the region will participate in a 48-hour “Hackathon” on the sidelines of the inauguration. This contest will reward innovation projects in the fields of connected robotics, health, and agriculture. The winners will then be accompanied during one year by “IF: Lab”, the first start-up incubator in the DRC.

A multimedia library equipped with leading digital tools, will shortly be created within the Institute.

The inauguration of the Institut Français Goma will take place according to the following programme:

20 October, from 10.00 am:
– Arrival of the Ambassador of France, and local and provincial authorities at the Institute.
– Address by the Ambassador of France, the Minister of Education and the Governor.
– Tour of the Institute with introduction to the programmes of the Institute and presentation of the 66 finalists of the Hackathon project launched the same day.
– Launch of the Hackathon with projects on which participants will work for 48 hours non-stop within the Institute. The finalists comes from Bukavu and Goma.
– Cocktail reception at the Nyumbani Café for all guests.

20-22 October:
Robotics Hackathon in Goma for 48 hours, during which the 66 finalists are divided into different teams and supervised by 3 French start-ups (La Cool Co, Wefight and Sano Celo /3Dcelo) with the aim of developing their project or prototype.

22 October:
Closing cocktail reception of the Hackathon, and exchanges with the finalists.

The winners of the Hackathon will be accompanied for one year to improve the prototype developed and build their business model to transform their project into a start-up.

TMB is proud to contribute to this inspiring and promising project, focused as it is on securing a brighter future for the youth of Goma.

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