Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 unites 10K+ across 20+ cities, offering $1M in prizes to boost AI and Web3 innovation across the continent.
The Exponential Science Foundation and the Hashgraph Association have inaugurated the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025, a global event intended to expedite the adoption of artificial intelligence and Web3 across the African continent.
According to a press release sent to Cointelegraph, the Hedera Africa Hackathon, which is scheduled to take place from August 1 to September 30, is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants from 15 African countries and offer a prize pool of $1 million.
The event, open to developers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide, is organized by two nonprofit organizations: the Switzerland-based Hashgraph Association and the tech research-focused Exponential Science Foundation.
Kamal Youssefi, the president of the board of directors at the Hashgraph Association, stated, “Our objective is to develop transparent cognitive solutions that optimize processes, facilitate decision-making, and automate execution by leveraging technologies that converge Web3 with AI.”
All solutions will be developed on the Hedera network in four distinct tracks: on-chain finance and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization; ESG sustainability and traceability; self-sovereign identity (SSI) and AI; and gaming, metaverse, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Prizes will be awarded to up to 15 exceptional teams demonstrating innovation, impact, and alignment with the Hedera Africa Hackathon’s objectives.
With onsite events in over 20 African locations, including Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis, this Hackathon encompasses a vast expanse of Africa.
The Hedera Africa Hackathon has seen an increase in interest in the Web3 potential of Africa, with over 50 partners and 100 universities and tech centers already participating.
Web3 Talents Of Africa Are On Brink Of Making Global Impact.
Many African individuals cannot access dependable financial services due to pervasive corruption, a weak banking system, and high inflation.
This presents an opportunity for Web3 initiatives such as Jambo and Yellow Card to provide alternative methods of saving and earning.
Kamal emphasized the “young population with ambitious tech talents” as Africa’s greatest asset.
He referenced Hedera’s collaboration with Orange, a telecommunications operator, to implement digital empowerment initiatives in 16 African countries.
These initiatives encompass “training, certification, and the establishment of incubation and accelerator centers.”
According to Paolo Tasca, the executive chairman of the Exponential Science Foundation, “Africa offers a distinctive advantage to Web3: a proven capacity for digital adoption and a demographic advantage.”
“However, obstacles persist, particularly in the areas of education and foundational infrastructure.”
Additionally, governments are intensifying their efforts to cultivate talent.
For instance, Nigeria has recently implemented an annual initiative to educate 1,000 citizens on blockchain technologies and artificial intelligence.
