ABAfrica Builds AI
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Hackathon Tracks

Build in the lanes that matter most.

Each track has its own dedicated problem space, build ideas, mentors, judging panel and prize pool. Pick the one you'll change forever.

Reinvent African trade

AI for Commerce

Build AI tools that supercharge merchants, marketplaces, and the informal economies that move 80% of African GDP.

The problem

Africa's commerce is overwhelmingly informal — over 80% of jobs sit in markets and small businesses without modern software. Merchants lose hours on inventory, pricing, and customer chats; cross-border trade is throttled by paperwork, currency, and language.

The opportunity

AI can collapse the cost of running a business to near zero. Voice-first agents, vision-based stock counting, and bilingual chat copilots let any merchant operate like a venture-backed startup. Sub-Saharan e-commerce alone is projected to top $75B by 2030.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1WhatsApp AI sales agent that quotes, upsells and closes orders in pidgin, Swahili or French.
  • 2Camera-first inventory tool that counts stock from a phone snapshot.
  • 3Cross-border pricing copilot that handles FX, duties and local tax in seconds.
  • 4AI receipts + bookkeeping for kiosks that file VAT in one tap.
  • 5Vendor matchmaking marketplace where AI ranks suppliers by reliability and lead time.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • CF
    Mentor TBA
    Commerce Founder
  • MO
    Mentor TBA
    Marketplace Operator
  • FI
    Mentor TBA
    Fintech Investor

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to AI for CommerceAsk a question
Autonomous African workforce

AI Agents

Ship agents that research, support, sell, and operate at superhuman speed for African businesses and governments.

The problem

African SMEs and public services are massively understaffed. A single agent that handles support, scheduling, or research can multiply the output of an entire team — but most off-the-shelf agents assume English-only, US-centric data.

The opportunity

Build agents tuned for African languages, networks (offline-first, low-bandwidth), and currencies. The first wave will define the default 'African work copilot' for the next decade.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1Multilingual customer-support agent for telcos and banks across 5 African languages.
  • 2Government-services agent that walks citizens through licenses, taxes and permits.
  • 3Sales-research agent that builds cold-email lists from local registries and LinkedIn.
  • 4Operations agent that runs procurement, vendor follow-ups and invoice chasing.
  • 5Personal finance agent that negotiates bills and tracks remittances for diaspora families.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • AE
    Mentor TBA
    AI Engineer
  • AR
    Mentor TBA
    Agent Researcher
  • EB
    Mentor TBA
    Enterprise Buyer

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to AI AgentsAsk a question
Trust at continental scale

AI + Blockchain

Combine AI with on-chain rails for identity, finance, and governance — the missing trust layer Africa needs.

The problem

Trust gaps cost the continent billions: identity fraud, opaque public spend, slow cross-border settlements, and limited credit history. AI alone solves some — but on-chain rails turn the answer into a public, verifiable system.

The opportunity

Africa already leads the world in mobile money. Stitching AI underwriting, on-chain identity, and stablecoin rails together unlocks a true continental financial system.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1On-chain reputation passport scored by an AI from open data and verified attestations.
  • 2Stablecoin remittance app with AI-driven anti-fraud and compliance.
  • 3Public-spend dashboard that ingests budgets and flags anomalies in plain English.
  • 4Smart-contract underwriter for SME lending, scored by an AI on alternative data.
  • 5Land registry + AI title search to cut property fraud and unlock collateral.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • WF
    Mentor TBA
    Web3 Founder
  • SO
    Mentor TBA
    Stablecoin Operator
  • PE
    Mentor TBA
    Policy Expert

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to AI + BlockchainAsk a question
A tutor for every learner

AI for Education

Unlock learning for 600M+ African youth with AI built for low-bandwidth realities and local curricula.

The problem

Africa has the world's youngest population — and a teacher shortage of millions. Classrooms are crowded, materials are scarce, and most ed-tech is built for high-bandwidth Western contexts.

The opportunity

An AI tutor in every learner's pocket — voice-first, offline-capable, aligned to national curricula — could be the largest learning intervention in human history.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1WhatsApp tutor that prepares students for WAEC, KCSE or matric exams.
  • 2Voice-first STEM coach for primary schools in Swahili, Yoruba or Amharic.
  • 3Teacher copilot that generates lesson plans aligned to the local curriculum.
  • 4University co-pilot that turns lecture notes into adaptive practice tests.
  • 5Vocational-skills agent that pairs youth with paid micro-internships.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • EF
    Mentor TBA
    EdTech Founder
  • CD
    Mentor TBA
    Curriculum Designer
  • EI
    Mentor TBA
    Education Investor

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to AI for EducationAsk a question
Care that reaches everyone

AI for Healthcare

Build AI that extends doctors, supports mothers, and saves lives in the world's most under-resourced health systems.

The problem

Africa has fewer than 2 doctors per 1,000 people in most countries. Maternal mortality, TB, malaria, and chronic disease still claim lives that simple, timely advice could save.

The opportunity

AI triage, vision diagnostics on a phone, and multilingual health agents can extend every clinician 100x — and reach patients who never see one. WHO-aligned, privacy-respecting AI is the unlock.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1Maternal-care agent for first-time mothers in their language, with red-flag escalation.
  • 2Phone-camera diagnosis for skin conditions, eyes or wounds with clinician hand-off.
  • 3Pharmacy-counter triage agent that screens before recommending OTC meds.
  • 4Mental-health copilot for youth in low-bandwidth areas.
  • 5Clinic operations agent that handles scheduling, intake and billing.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • HF
    Mentor TBA
    Health-Tech Founder
  • C
    Mentor TBA
    Clinician
  • PL
    Mentor TBA
    Public-Health Lead

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to AI for HealthcareAsk a question
Modern states, served by AI

GovTech & Public Services

Reimagine identity, transport, and citizen services for the AI era — citizen-first, transparent, and built for scale.

The problem

Citizens still queue for hours for permits, IDs, and services that should take 30 seconds. Public data is scattered, opaque, and rarely actionable — even when it's published.

The opportunity

AI lets every citizen self-serve in their language and lets every public official see their city in real time. The countries that move first set the standard for the continent.

5 things you could ship in 4 weeks
  • 1City-services agent that handles licenses, fines, and complaints over WhatsApp.
  • 2Open-budget explainer that turns every line of national spending into plain language.
  • 3Transit-optimization agent for matatus, danfos and boda networks.
  • 4Disaster-response copilot for floods, fires and outbreaks.
  • 5AI ombudsman that helps citizens file and track grievances.
How we'll judge
  • Real-world impact30%
  • AI-native depth25%
  • Technical execution20%
  • Scalability across Africa15%
  • Founder readiness10%
Mentors & judges
  • PE
    Mentor TBA
    Public-Sector Engineer
  • CF
    Mentor TBA
    Civic-Tech Founder
  • PA
    Mentor TBA
    Policy Advisor

Full mentor roster announced before kickoff.

Resources
Hackathon AfricaNomadic Labs AfricaPartner builder platforms
Apply to GovTech & Public ServicesAsk a question