The inaugural AfCFTA Hackathon 2025 has kicked off in Lagos, Nigeria, with over 200 youth in Tek from across Africa vying for the N20 million grand prize.

The competition, part of the ongoing Science of Trade (SOT) Conference 2025, features applicants from Nigeria, the Gambia, Malawi, Ghana, Niger, and Algeria.

Speaking at the event’s opening on Thursday, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, National Coordinator of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, described the Hackathon as a groundbreaking initiative that advances opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

Awolowo, who was represented by Olusegun Olutayo, the Senior Trade Expert/Lead at the Coordination Office, emphasized the event’s significance, stating: “By fostering innovation through digital platforms, we are enabling businesses to thrive in a borderless, tech-driven marketplace.”

He challenged participants to develop cutting-edge technological solutions that streamline regional trade and cross-border transactions across Africa.

“This high-impact challenge aims to accelerate digital trade within Nigeria and across Africa, supporting the practical implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol,” he added. “The Hackathon demonstrates technology’s potential to bridge gaps, streamline trade, and propel Africa’s economic integration in the digital era.”

Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), noted the Hackathon’s timeliness, given Africa’s growing demand for digital solutions to facilitate seamless cross-border payments and trade.

Represented by Dr. Salisu Kaka, Director of e-Government and Digital Economy Development, Kashifu stated that the initiative aligns with the extant provisions of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and NITDA’s mandate to unlock new frontiers in digital trade.

Dr. Inya Lawal, convener of the SOT Conference, expressed optimism about the Hackathon’s prospects, praising the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office for championing the initiative.

Meanwhile, Adeboyejo Seun, Chief Product Officer at GFA Technologies, revealed the participant breakdown: 209 qualified Nigerians, alongside 5 from the Gambia, 3 from Malawi, 2 from Ghana, 1 from Niger, and 1 from Algeria.

The AfCFTA Hackathon is organized by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office in partnership with Ascend Studios Foundation, Cherith-Code Concept, NITDA, GFA Technologies, Amazon Web Services and others as part of the SOT Conference 2025—an annual tech and digital ecosystem event.

The AfCFTA Hackathon continues until Saturday 3rd May, 2025.

The post Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Others Compete for N20m Prize at AfCFTA Hackathon appeared first on Tech Digest News.

In a bold move to deepen the implementation and unlock the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Nigeria, the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, under the leadership of the National Coordinator, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, has endorsed the launch of the first-ever AfCFTA Hackathon in Nigeria with N20 million grand prize.

The initiative, led by Cherith-Code Concept Ltd, an International Trade Consortium, is supported by a powerful coalition of partners, including Ascend Studios Foundation, Amazon Web Services, GFA Technologies, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Real Sources Africa, a Kenya-based company. This annual, high-impact project will focus on unpacking the opportunities presented by the newly adopted AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol (DTP).

According to Mr. Olusegun Olutayo, Senior Trade Expert and Lead at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, who also serves as Director of the Nigerian AfCFTA-Hackathon Project, the Hackathon is an innovative, tech-driven challenge specifically designed with Nigeria’s enterprising youth in mind. It aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, aiming to strengthen Nigeria’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Olutayo further emphasized that the initiative will expand opportunities under the AfCFTA framework, empowering Nigerian innovators to explore and dominate the continental market through digital trade. The platform will serve as a hub for developing competitive, practical, and innovative solutions to power digital trade across Africa.

Held as a flagship event at the Science of Trade (SOT) Conference 2025, hosted by Ascend Studios Foundation, the maiden AfCFTA Hackathon is set to take place from May 1–3, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial and tech innovation hub.

Dr. Inya Lawal, Convener of the SOT Conference, expressed enthusiasm about the Hackathon’s transformative potential and the partnership with the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office. The COO of Cherith-Code Concept says the Hackathon marks a pivotal shift in how Africa approaches digital trade. It sparks practical innovations that shape the continent’s economic future.

Described as the first-of-its-kind on the continent, the Hackathon seeks to drive the implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, positioning Nigeria as a trailblazer in Africa’s evolving digital trade environment.

This initiative builds on the success of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol workshops held in Lagos and Abuja in 2024, themed “Preparedness for AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol”, and attended by key stakeholders from the digital trade ecosystem.

The Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene, is expected to attend the SOT Conference 2025 as a Special Guest. He will deliver a keynote address, serve on the Hackathon Jury Panel, and offer mentorship and strategic policy guidance during the event.

Expected Outcomes of the AfCFTA Hackathon Include:

Development of innovative digital trade solutions to streamline cross-border transactions, payments, and logistics, boosting intra-African trade.

Promotion of regulatory harmonization across AfCFTA member states.

Acceleration of AI-driven and fintech innovations to empower African SMEs and startups.

Strengthening of public-private partnerships to build a secure, efficient digital trade ecosystem across Africa.

The Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office invites all stakeholders, innovators, and tech enthusiasts to participate in this historic event.

The post Nigeria To Host First AfCFTA Hackathon appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Government through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has assured that it would intensify effort at partnering with the industry stakeholders to help evolve, enable broad opportunities, foster innovation and build the African tech innovation ecosystem.

This assurance was made today at the maiden edition of the Global Tech Africa (GTA) Summit, an initiative designed to help Africa transform and ignite a flame of innovation that will illuminate the path towards creating a digital future in the continent.

The event was organised in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), United States Consulate General, Ascends Studios Foundation, and Future Map Foundation.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. William Nwankwo Alo who was represented by the Director of Information Communication Technology, (ICT) Mr. Samuel Okoye noted that the Summit presents a pathway for embarking on a journey to explore the immense opportunities that lies at the intersection of innovation, technology, and human progress.

READ ALSO:Cyber Security: NITDA, CIFCFIN To Collaborate On Digital Forensics

Dr. Alo emphasised that the potential of technological advancements is to bridge gaps, foster inclusivity, and ignite economic growth, therefore, the Summit catalyses the unlocking of these potentials and empowers Africans to become global leaders in technology.

He said the Pan-African Summit would foster a collective vision and help in harnessing technological power that could uplift communities, improve healthcare, education, access to information, drive sustainable agriculture, and improve innovation in all sectors of the economy.

“Today, we stand on the precipice of a transformative journey — one that will redefine the future of Africa and her people, and I believe with this kind of summit, which has congregated some of the best minds in the industry, we will shape a destiny where access to technology is no longer a privilege but a fundamental right for all Africans,” he added.

On his part, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE while delivering his keynote address said Africa is blessed with abundant talent, untapped potential, and a vibrant youthful population to play pivotal roles in the global tech ecosystem.

He posits the necessity of recognising the importance of uniting to reap the potential that lies ahead in the areas of e-commerce, fintech, and digital economy in general under the banner of Global Tech Africa (GTA).

Expressing optimism, he said that GTA would provide a powerful platform to unlock all these opportunities in Africa; though he expressed some skepticism about this, but he is convinced that with the playbook that has been developed to propel the realisation of these potentials, and has identified three steps that would ensure the unlocking of these potentials in a digital economy.

He believed that there is no reason for Africa to be left out in this Fourth Industrial Revolution after being left out in the first, second and third Industrial Revolutions.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about talent and technology. In Africa, we have the talent. The developed world has the technology. Technology will not work without talent; therefore, they need us to develop the technology while we need the technology to boast our economy,” he said.

While noting the need for talent development in Africa by saying that by 2030, there is going to be 85 million talent deficits globally, which will result in 8.5 trillion US dollars annualised value, Inuwa maintained that “Nigeria have proven that we have the talent. We have done that in sports, the music industry, the film industry, and we can do it in the technology ecosystem.”

He called for the need to embrace and create value via the ecosystem, saying that no one succeeds in isolation.

He said, “Looking at it globally, innovation is not evenly distributed but in clusters as ecosystem; therefore, the reason for this platform is to create a strong ecosystem in Nigeria and in Africa by partnering with all the key stakeholders that are captured under five categories in the ecosystem.

He listed the ecosystem partners as the high institutions that produce human capital, corporate organisations that absorb the human capital, entrepreneurs who can start and grow businesses, venture capital that can invest in those innovative ideas and lastly the government that makes policies and provide infrastructure in un-served and underserved communities.

Referring to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, (WIPO), the Director General noted that innovation ecosystem is worth more than five billion US dollars.

Citing Coferry report, Inuwa said a country or a region with a strong innovation ecosystem creates jobs at twice the rate of countries or regions with a weak innovation ecosystem, adding that according to Statista, digitally transformed enterprises contributed 13.5 trillion US dollars to the global GDP in 2018 and are projected to contribute 53.3 trillion US dollars this year, in 2023.

“That means innovation is winning when it comes to wealth creation, and we need the ecosystem to be able to benefit from it. This is what we are trying to build with GTA,” he said.

Apologetically he asserts that currently, the ecosystem is weak and needs to be reinvented through rebuilding the trust among stakeholders to aid the social contract within the system.

He described the government’s role from two angles as the rule-based and non-rule-based regulations. Stating that the objectives of all regulatory instruments are to create a market to enable innovation within the ecosystem, protect consumers and make service delivery more efficient.

In his conclusion, he appealed to the audience to welcome the goals of GTA Summit as a platform that places Africans at the forefront of innovation, growth, and prosperity.

“As a nation and continent, together we can make it possible; and together, we can unlock the boundless potentials in our continent, forging a future where technology drives positive change and creates opportunities for all,” Inuwa assured.

Other speakers at the event were, Will Stevens, the United State Consular General; Steffi Czerny, Co-founder, Digital Life Design (DLD); Bunmi Akinyemiju, Co-founder, Venture Garden Group; Emmanuel Tarfa, GTA Team and the Chief Convener, Dr Inya Lawal.

The post GTA Summit: Nigeria to play pivotal roles in upscaling African tech ecosystem appeared first on Tech Digest News.