AI Hackathons Across Africa

Building open-source AI solutions for agriculture and sustainability.

8 hackathons 710 participants 24 models produced

Nairobi AgriTech Hackathon

The Nairobi hackathon brought together 85 participants to develop AI solutions for crop yield prediction, plant disease detection, and soil health management for smallholder farmers in East Africa.

Dates: 2025-03-15 — 2025-03-17 | Location: iHub Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

Participants: 85 | Teams: 17 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for crop science and precision farming; 2 agri-tech startups formed post-hackathon; Partnership with KALRO for crop and soil data access; 15,000+ GitHub stars across models

Lagos FoodSystems Hackathon

Lagos hosted a hackathon addressing post-harvest losses and market access challenges in Nigerian agriculture. 120 participants developed AI models for cassava disease detection, farm-to-market logistics, and commodity price forecasting.

Dates: 2025-05-10 — 2025-05-12 | Location: Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), Lagos, Nigeria

Participants: 120 | Teams: 24 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for food systems; Partnership with Federal Ministry of Agriculture for crop data; CassavaBlight Detector piloted in 5 cassava farming communities; FarmRoute adopted by 2 agricultural logistics startups

Accra AgriFinance Hackathon

The Accra hackathon focused on AI solutions for agricultural financial inclusion, targeting smallholder farmers without formal credit histories. 70 participants developed credit scoring, crop insurance, and market matching solutions.

Dates: 2025-07-20 — 2025-07-22 | Location: Impact Hub Accra, Accra, Ghana

Participants: 70 | Teams: 14 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for agricultural finance; Regulatory sandbox partnership with Bank of Ghana for agri-lending; HarvestCredit piloted with 3 agricultural microfinance institutions; €500K in follow-on funding for winning teams

Cairo Nile AgriTech Challenge

The Cairo hackathon brought together 90 participants to develop AI solutions for Nile Basin irrigation management, agricultural drought prediction, and fraud detection in farm subsidy programs.

Dates: 2025-08-16 — 2025-08-18 | Location: GrEEK Campus, Cairo, Egypt

Participants: 90 | Teams: 18 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for irrigation and climate resilience; Partnership with Egypt Ministry of Agriculture for canal sensor data; IrrigationFlow AI piloted in 3 Nile Delta irrigation districts; First North African agricultural AI hackathon in the program

Dakar Sahel AgriHack

Dakar's hackathon addressed agricultural challenges in the Sahel region including soil moisture monitoring, solar-powered irrigation optimization, and livestock disease detection for pastoral communities. 65 participants from Francophone Africa.

Dates: 2025-09-05 — 2025-09-07 | Location: CTIC Dakar, Dakar, Senegal

Participants: 65 | Teams: 13 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for Sahel agriculture; Partnership with Senegal Ministry of Agriculture for field data; SahelWater Monitor deployed in 10 rural farming communities; First Francophone agricultural AI hackathon in the program

Kigali AgriLivestock Summit

Rwanda's hackathon focused on AI for tea optimization, dairy cattle health monitoring, and agricultural credit scoring within the country's organized cooperative system. 55 participants developed solutions for Rwandan agricultural value chains.

Dates: 2025-10-18 — 2025-10-20 | Location: kLab Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda

Participants: 55 | Teams: 11 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for cash crops and livestock; TeaLeaf Optimizer piloted in 10 Rwandan tea cooperatives; Partnership with Rwanda Agriculture Board for crop data; 50% of participants were women developers

Johannesburg AgriAI Summit

The Johannesburg summit was the program's flagship event, bringing together 150 participants from across Africa. Teams addressed grain market connectivity, frost prediction for vineyards, and poultry health monitoring for commercial farming.

Dates: 2025-11-22 — 2025-11-24 | Location: Tshimologong Precinct, Johannesburg, South Africa

Participants: 150 | Teams: 30 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for grain, climate, and livestock; GrainMarket Connect piloted with 3 grain trading cooperatives; €1M in follow-on funding for winning teams; Largest agricultural AI hackathon by participant count

Casablanca MedAgri Hackathon

The Casablanca hackathon brought together 75 participants from Francophone North and West Africa to develop AI solutions for olive yield forecasting, agricultural supply chain optimization, and desert locust swarm prediction.

Dates: 2025-12-06 — 2025-12-08 | Location: Technopark Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco

Participants: 75 | Teams: 15 | Models produced: 3

Outcomes: 3 open-source AI models published for tree crops and pest control; Partnership with Morocco Ministry of Agriculture for crop data; OliveYield Forecast piloted with 20 olive cooperatives; Second Francophone agricultural hackathon in the program