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Africa Statistics Day 2025

Data Competition

Data for Everyone: Making Statistics Simple, Open, and Accessible. A lively innovation event organized by the National Bureau of Statistics, supported by Tanzania Startup Association.
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Data Competition

Contest Overview

The 2025 Data Challenge is a lively innovation event that celebrates Africa Statistics Day on 18 December 2025. This year, the National Bureau of Statistics leads a strong initiative called the NBS Data Challenge. It gathers creative people from all over Tanzania to turn data into actual solutions. The Tanzania Startup Association (TSA) supports it.

The Data Challenge brings together innovators, students, startups, and public servants to tackle daily problems with data. By mixing the National Bureau of Statistics rich data sources with the drive of Tanzanian innovators, we highlight data's power to help make smarter choices in areas like health, education, agriculture, climate, econonics, and finance. This event goes beyond just coding—it focuses on creativity, solving problems, and working as a team.

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Data Competition

Who can participate?

Who Can Participate

All Tanzanians aged 18 and older are welcome to participate

Team Composition

Teams of two to five members can participate together

No Experience Required

Whether you're a data analyst, designer, or simply someone with a great idea—this event is for you.

Open to All

Innovators, students, startups, and public servants are all encouraged to join and turn data into solutions.

Data Competition

Competition Timeline

Call for Applications
18-Nov-25 - 10-Dec-25
Teams register and submit their applications online.
Design solutions using data from the NBS website, portals, and other public sources.
Application deadline is 10 December 2025.
Final teams will be announced on 25 January 2026 (5 teams).
View details
Application Round
Conquest Round
Teams Announced
25-Jan-26

  • Selected teams are announced and notified.
  • Teams prepare for the pre-event briefing.
  • Access to datasets and resources is provided.

View details
Pre-event Briefing
30-Jan-26
Pre-event briefing and dataset sharing session
Teams receive final instructions and access to data resources
Mentorship and guidance from data and tech experts
View details
Exhibition Round
Final Round
Hackathon Day
10-Feb-26
Celebration - Full day hackathon event
Teams work intensively to create prototypes, visualizations, or data-based tools
Present ideas to a panel of judges for feedback and recognition
View details
Prizes and Recognition

The hackathon is a learning experience first — but there will be exciting rewards

🥇 1st Prize
  • Funded training on basic Statistics in local university /institute
  • 3-month mentorship with Tanzania Startup Association (TSA)
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • One year opportunity to collaborate with NBS on a pilot project
  • Cash Prize and Inkind
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony
🥈 2nd Prize
  • Training on Statistics literacy provided by NBS
  • NBS Professional mentorship sessions
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony
🥉 3rd Prize
  • Training on Statistics literacy provided by NBS
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony
🏅 Special Recognition Awards

To encourage diversity and creativity:

Best Female-Led Team Award

We can seek sponsorship from gender partners

Best Public Impact Solution

For a project that best benefits citizens or public services

Young Innovators Award (Under 25)

To celebrate emerging talent

For All Participants
  • Certificate of Excellence (signed by Statistician General & partners)
  • Branded merchandise (T-shirt, notebook, badge)
  • Networking with universities, government, and tech hubs

Data Sources

Teams design solutions using data from the NBS website, portals, and other public sources. Focus areas include health, education, agriculture, climate, econonics, and finance.

Facilities & Technical Support

Fully equipped for product development.

  • In-person event venue with full day of innovation, guidance, and connections
  • Access to NBS data sources, portals, and other public data repositories
  • Mentorship from data and tech experts throughout the event
  • Open Data APIs and datasets from the National Bureau of Statistics
  • Technical support and guidance for prototype development

Partner unit

Data Yangu Logo

Please register to participate in Data Competition and turn your data into solutions that make statistics simple, open, and accessible for everyone.

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Data Challenge – Tanzania's Biggest Data Innovation Competition

Join innovators, students, developers, storytellers, and creators for a national data challenge designed to turn statistics into real solutions for Tanzania.

About the Data Challenge (Contest Overview)

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as per the Statistics Act Cap 351 is the Government agency responsible for production, coordination, supervision, and dissemination of official statistics, and for the custodianship of official statistics in the country.

The Tanzania Data Challenge is a national digital innovation initiative organized by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to promote creative and impactful use of official statistics in addressing real socio-economic challenges in the country. The Contest brings together young innovators, students, researchers, developers, data enthusiasts, journalist and startups from across Tanzania to design and develop data-driven solutions that demonstrate the value of statistics in everyday life and national development.

Guided by the mandate of NBS to produce, coordinate, and disseminate official statistics, the Data Challenge Contest aims to transform the rich statistical outputs generated by the National Statistical System (NSS) into practical digital tools and innovations. Participants are encouraged to convert datasets traditionally used for policymaking into user-friendly applications, dashboards, data visualizations, interactive maps, analytical models, and data stories that support community needs, government planning, service delivery, and private-sector decision-making.

The theme "Data for Everyone: Making Statistics Simple, Open, and Accessible" transforms statistics into a hands-on, high-impact innovation experience. Participants collaborate, build prototypes, visualize data, and create solutions that support national development.

As part of the implementation of the Tanzania Statistical Master Plan Phase II (TSMP-II), the Contest reflects the Government's commitment to strengthening the data ecosystem, expanding digital transformation, and fostering a culture of evidence-based innovation. It provides a structured platform for hands-on learning, mentorship, collaboration, and the nurturing of emerging talent in data science, technology, and innovation.

Ultimately, the Tanzania Data Challenge Contest demonstrates that official statistics are not only for policymakers, but are a powerful national resource that can drive entrepreneurship, transparency, and sustainable development when placed in the hands of innovators.

Why the Data Challenge Matters

Tanzania is accelerating its journey toward a digital and data-driven economy. Participants explore how statistics can support decisions in health, education, agriculture, climate change, financial inclusion, and more.

Participants explore how statistics can support decisions in:

  • Health
  • Education
  • Agriculture
  • Climate/Environmental Action
  • Youth Employment
  • Financial Inclusion
  • Public Service Delivery

This challenge is not only for coders it's for thinkers, problem-solvers, designers, communicators, entrepreneurs, and anyone ready to innovate for Tanzania.

Objectives

Through this initiative, NBS seeks to:

1. Encourage Creative Use of Official Statistics

Encourage creative use of official statistics in solving real-world problems.

2. Build Data Literacy and Digital Innovation Skills

Build data literacy and digital innovation skills among youth.

3. Promote Data Usage and Public Engagement

Promote data usage and public engagement.

4. Strengthen Collaboration

Strengthen collaboration between Government, academia, private sector, and development partners.

5. Support Data-Driven Enterprises

Support the development of data-driven enterprises and solutions that contribute to socio-economic transformation.

Who Can Participate?

Any Tanzanian aged 18+ can join.

  • Professionals, tech enthusiasts, or newcomers to data
  • Innovators & creative thinkers
  • Startup founders & tech builders
  • University & college students
  • Data analysts, product designers, storytellers, Journalist and Information Officers
  • Government innovators & digital transformation teams

Teams:

  • 2–5 members
  • Mixed-skills teams encouraged (tech + design + content + problem understanding)

No previous experience is required. Mentors will guide you.

How the Challenge Works

Participants will:

  • Work in teams to build a prototype, visualization, or data tool
  • Use NBS datasets and publicly available data sources
  • Receive mentorship from leading data and innovation experts
  • Pitch their solution to a panel of judges
  • Compete for national recognition, training opportunities, and media exposure

This is a full-day, in-person innovation experience.

Prize Structure

1st Prize

  • Funded training on basic Statistics in local university /institute
  • 3-month mentorship with Tanzania Startup Association (TSA)
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • One year opportunity to collaborate with NBS on a pilot project
  • Cash Prize and Inkind
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony

2nd Prize

  • Training on Statistics literacy provided by NBS
  • NBS Professional mentorship sessions
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony
  • Cash Prize and Inkind

3rd Prize

  • Training on Statistics literacy provided by NBS
  • Recognition on NBS digital platforms
  • Announcement during the official closing ceremony
  • Cash Prize and Inkind

All Participants Receive:

  • Certificate of Excellence (signed by Statistician General & partners)
  • Branded merchandise (T-shirt, notebook, badge)
  • Networking with universities, government, and tech hubs

Event Timeline

Date Activity
18-Nov-25 Call for Applications Opens
10-Dec-25 Application Deadline
25-Jan-26 Final Teams Announced (5 teams)
30-Jan-26 Pre-Event Briefing
10-Feb-26 Hackathon Day

Data Source

NBS website: www.nbs.go.tz

NBS Data Portals:

Geographical Information System GIS portal
Visit Portal →
Tanzania Integrated Statistical Portal (TISP)
Visit Portal →
Tanzania National Data Archive (TNADA)
Visit Portal →

Themes

Participants may innovate within these categories:

  • • Public Health
  • • Agriculture & Food Security
  • • Climate & Environment
  • • Education & Skills
  • • Urbanization & Housing
  • • Tourism & creative economy analytics
  • • Finance & Digital Inclusion
  • • Population & Demographics
  • • Transportation & Mobility
  • • Poverty, Inequality & Welfare
  • • Media & Data Storytelling
  • • Green economy & climate adaptation

How to Apply

  • Visit the NBS website and data portals to understand current systems and services.
  • Prepare a concept proposal (maximum 3 pages) describing the innovation.
  • Submit your proposal no later than 5th December 2025

Expected Outcomes

  • Stronger collaboration between NBS and data user communities
  • Enhanced data accessibility and public statistical literacy
  • User-centered platforms and communication models
  • Scalable digital solutions supporting evidence-based decision-making

Evaluation Criteria and Scoring Matrix

Evaluation Criteria Guiding Questions Score Weight Score (0-10) Total Weighted Score
Relevance to NBS Needs Does the concept clearly address a real challenge in data dissemination, accessibility, or user engagement? 20% — —
Innovation & Creativity Is the solution original, inventive, and different from existing approaches? 15% — —
Feasibility & Practicality Can the solution be realistically developed, deployed, and sustained within NBS systems/environment? 20% — —
User-Centered Design Does the solution consider the needs, capabilities, and experience of its target users? 10% — —
Impact and Scalability Will the solution increase data use, awareness, literacy, or efficiency? Can it grow nationally? 20% — —
Technical Soundness Are the proposed tools, methods, and architecture appropriate and reliable? 10% — —
Presentation Quality Is the submission clear, structured, and professionally presented? 5% — —

Total Score = Sum of (Score × Weight)

Maximum Possible Score = 100

Rating Guide

Score Range Interpretation
85–100 Excellent – Strong candidate for selection
70–84 Good – Competitive but needs refinement
50–69 Fair – Promising idea but weak feasibility
Below 50 Not Recommended

Note: The solution that will go viral online and have many users will have added advantage.

Partners

  • • National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
  • • Tanzania Startup Association (TSA)
  • • Universities & Tech Hubs
  • • Innovation and data partners

Ready to Transform Data into Solutions?

Join us for Tanzania's biggest data innovation competition and turn statistics into real solutions.

Apply Now View Competition Rules