A Swiss non-profit organisation, Hashgraph Association, has launched the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 to empower the next generation of web developers and drive economic inclusion in Africa with a digital future for all.
The group is offering $1 million prize for the winning project, with applicants to develop blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based, scalable solutions tailored to the continent’s most urgent challenges and needs.
All solutions will be built on the Hedera network – the world’s most energy-efficient and cost-effective DLT, which offers cost predictability, the highest levels of security, and the ability to support reliable, scalable, and enterprise-grade applications.
This web3 hackathon initiative combines online participation with onsite events in over 20 African cities, with a goal of attracting over 10,000 participants across more than 15 countries on the African continent.
Developers, students, and entrepreneurs are invited to collaborate to build decentralized solutions on Hedera across industries such as Finance, Healthcare, Telecoms, Sustainability, Agriculture, and Manufacturing, while leveraging the convergence of other deep technologies such as AI, IoT, Robotics, and Quantum Computing.
The hackathon aims to catalyze continuous innovation across four key tracks: On-Chain Finance and Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenisation; ESG Sustainability and Traceability; Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and AI; and Gaming, Metaverse, & NFTs.
Developers of all skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to participate — no prior blockchain experience is required. Extensive training resources will be provided through the Hedera Academy, with access to a thriving developer community.
The Hashgraph Association and the Exponential Science Foundation will be carrying out awareness and training campaigns to prepare participants for the hackathon before the official start date on August 1, 2025. Entries will close on September 30, 2025.
“Africa is home to one of the youngest, most enthusiastic and dynamic tech communities in the world; its future will depend on digitization.
“By equipping developers and entrepreneurs with Web3 skills and next generation toolkits, we’re not just solving today’s problems, we’re shaping the future of decentralized innovation in one of the world’s most significant growth markets, fostering a digital future for all through financial, identity, and communication inclusion,” the President of The Hashgraph Association, Kamal Youssefi, said.
On his part, the co-founder and chairman of Exponential Science Foundation, Mr Paolo Tasca, said, “We encourage anyone with an interest in blockchain technology to sign up and start developing the next wave of practical solutions across multiple industries to gain valuable experience and a chance to claim the prize pool. Our hope is that participants will go on to launch their own ventures and share their learnings.”