Texila American University Zambia (TAUZ) celebrated a proud milestone as students from the School of Business Management & Information Technology formally presented the ZRA Hackathon 2025 trophies to the university’s management.
The student innovators, whose groundbreaking Project Veil won 1st Place at the national Hackathon organised by the Zambia Revenue Authority, handed over the trophies to Vice Chancellor Prof. Ajay Poddar, who received them on behalf of the institution.
The award-winning project stood out among 48 submissions from 18 universities, securing the highly competitive grand prize of K100,000. The trophy presentation ceremony symbolised shared pride between the student innovators and university leadership, marking one of TAUZ’s most significant achievements in technology and innovation.
Prof. Poddar congratulated the students and expressed immense pride in their achievement.
“I am very happy with the performance of our students,” he said. “Their innovation shows the high level of creativity and technical excellence we are building at Texila American University Zambia. They have made the university and the country proud.”
Deputy Vice Chancellor–Academics, Dr. Balamurugan Easwaran, applauded the team for aligning their work with national needs.
“This project is a clear demonstration of how our students are applying academic knowledge to real social challenges,” he said. “Their solution contributes directly to improving service delivery in Zambia. This is the kind of impact-driven learning we strive to promote.”
Acting Dean for the School of Business and IT, Ms. Jacqueline Siwale, praised the students for their discipline, teamwork and resilience throughout the competition.
“Our students showed exceptional leadership and commitment,” she said. “They competed against top universities and still emerged number one. This victory is a reflection of the strong mentorship, dedication, and hard work they have invested.”
Team leader Mr. Nicholas Malama thanked the university for its support and highlighted the mission behind Project Veil.
“We wanted to create a system that helps citizens report tax fraud safely and anonymously,” he said. “Winning is exciting, but contributing to national development is even more rewarding. We are grateful to TAUZ for believing in us.”
