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Hedera Africa Hackathon launches with $1M prize pool and Web3 focus

The Hashgraph Affiliation and the Exponential Science Basis have launched the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025, a worldwide occasion designed to speed up Web3 and synthetic intelligence adoption throughout the African continent.

With a prize pool of $1 million, the hackathon will run from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30 and goals to draw over 10,000 individuals throughout 15 African nations, in response to a press launch shared with Cointelegraph.

Organized by two nonprofit organizations — the Switzerland-based Hashgraph Affiliation and the tech research-focused Exponential Science Basis — the occasion is open to builders, college students, and entrepreneurs worldwide.

“We purpose to make use of applied sciences that converge Web3 with AI to create clear cognitive options that optimize processes and facilitate decision-making and automate the execution,” mentioned Kamal Youssefi, the president of the board of administrators on the Hashgraph Affiliation.

All options can be constructed on the Hedera community throughout 4 tracks: onchain finance and real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation; ESG sustainability and traceability; self-sovereign id (SSI) and AI; and gaming, metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). 

As much as 15 excellent groups will obtain prizes primarily based on innovation, affect and alignment with the hackathon’s objectives.

Onsite hackathon map Supply: Hedera-hackathon.hashgraph

This Hackathon covers massive areas in Africa, with onsite occasions in over 20 African cities equivalent to Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape City, Casablanca and Tunis.

Curiosity in Africa’s Web3 potential is rising, with greater than 50 companions and 100 universities and tech hubs having already joined the Hedera Africa Hackathon. 

Associated: African economies present excessive potential for digital asset adoption

Africa’s Web3 abilities are poised for international affect

As a consequence of excessive inflation, a weak banking system and widespread corruption, many individuals in Africa lack entry to dependable monetary providers. This creates alternatives for Web3 tasks like Jambo and Yellow Card to supply alternate options for saving and incomes.

Associated: South African agency chooses Bitcoin reserve technique as inflation hedge

Kamal highlighted Africa’s energy in its “younger inhabitants with bold tech abilities”. He cited Hedera’s partnership with Orange, a telecommunications operator, to launch digital empowerment applications throughout 16 African nations — initiatives that “embrace coaching, certification and the institution of incubation and accelerator facilities”.

“Africa brings a singular benefit to Web3: a demographic edge and a confirmed capability for digital adoption,” mentioned Paolo Tasca, govt chairman of the Exponential Science Basis. “But boundaries stay, notably in foundational infrastructure and schooling.”

Governments are additionally ramping up expertise growth. Nigeria, for instance, not too long ago launched an annual initiative to coach 1,000 residents in synthetic intelligence and blockchain applied sciences.

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