The Hashgraph Association and Exponential Science Foundation have launched the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025. Its goal is to enable the next generation of Web3 developers and empower economic inclusion in Africa.
The Hashgraph Association is a Swiss non-profit organization driving global adoption of Hedera-powered solutions by funding innovation, training, certification, and venture-building programs. Exponential Science Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation accelerating responsible tech adoption via research, education, and innovation activities.
This initiative combines online participation with onsite events in more than 20 African cities. Its goal is to attract more than 10,000 participants across more than 15 African countries. Developers, students, and entrepreneurs are invited to collaborate to build decentralized solutions on Hedera across industries, while leveraging the convergence of other deep technologies such as AI, IoT, robotics, and quantum computing. The prize pool exceeds $1 million.
With global participation officially open from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, the hackathon tasks 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 event will offer technical education, certification, and hands-on support from Hedera-certified engineers, with hacking stations to be established in cities such as Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis for in-person collaboration, alongside a fully virtual hackathon track accessible worldwide.
“Africa is home to one of the youngest, most enthusiastic and dynamic tech communities in the world; its future will depend on digitization,” said Kamal Youssefi, president of The Hashgraph Association. “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 hackathon aims to catalyze continuous innovation across four key tracks: On-Chain Finance and Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenization; ESG Sustainability and Traceability; Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and AI; and Gaming, Metaverse, and NFTs.
Developers of all skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to participate — no prior blockchain experience is required. Training resources will be provided through the Hedera Academy, with access to a 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.
“Initiatives such as the Hedera Africa Hackathon encourage the next generation of tech builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs,” said Paolo Tasca, co-founder and executive chairman of Exponential Science Foundation. “As well as driving blockchain education and innovation within a continent that is showing incredible growth potential. 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.”