Sovereign AI & Cloud · Official BIGTECH Africa 2026 Hackathon Sovereign AI & Cloud Hackathon
A 48-hour competition focused on the challenges of sovereign AI and cloud computing in Africa. Teams of African developers, data scientists, and entrepreneurs are designing and prototyping innovative solutions for the continent’s digital future.
48H
Competition
2–5
Members / Team
30+
Expected Teams
Oct. 15
Main Stage Final
Why participate?
A unique opportunity to build sovereign solutions, meet world-class mentors, and pitch to pan-African investors.
01 · Innovation
Sovereign Innovation
Work on real-world challenges posed by African public institutions and tech companies. Design AI, cloud, and data solutions that respect the continent’s digital sovereignty—including local hosting, data protection, and technological independence.
02 · Mentoring
Expert Mentors
Receive intensive support from CTOs, certified cloud engineers, and AI experts from Africa’s and the world’s leading tech companies. Individual coaching sessions will be held throughout the 48 hours to help you refine your prototype and pitch.
03 · Investment
Investor Expo
The finalist teams will pitch on the BIGTECH Africa Main Stage On October 15, in front of more than 40 pan-African and international investors. Cash prizes, cloud credits, and exclusive access to the Deal Lounge to help you turn your prototype into a funded startup.
What You Earn
The hackathon is funded by a single tech sponsor, which provides prize money, cloud infrastructure, and catering for the entire duration of the event.
Cash + Cloud Allocation
Direct financial support, premium cloud credits (AWS / Azure / OCI), access to the VIP Investor Lounge, and post-hackathon startup support from BIGTECH Africa’s partners.
Price & Visibility
Free cloud credits, media exposure across all BIGTECH Africa channels, an invitation to the startup sessions at the main conference, and priority access to the Eventoo B2B Lounge.
Experience & Network
48 hours of intensive immersion, catering provided throughout the event, official BIGTECH Africa certificates of participation, and networking with over 4,000 African digital professionals.
How does it work?
From the kickoff to the final pitch on the Main Stage, here are the four phases of your BIGTECH Hackathon adventure.
🚀 Kickoff & Briefing
Welcome for the teams, presentation of the thematic challenges by sponsors and partners, and team formation if needed. The mentors are introduced, and the rules of the competition are clarified. The clock starts: the 48-hour challenge begins.
💻 Hacking & Coaching
48 hours of intensive ideation, development, and prototyping. Coaching sessions with mentors every 4 hours. Cloud infrastructure provided in real time. Catering available 24 hours a day. Teams refine their prototypes and prepare their pitches.
🎤 Local Finals
A 5-minute presentation by each team to the technical jury (CTO, cloud experts, data scientists). Deliberation and selection of the three finalist teams that will take the Main Stage. Presentation of interim awards and celebration of all teams.
🏆 Main Stage Final Pitch
The three finalist teams will pitch to 4,000 attendees, more than 40 pan-African investors, and all the speakers at BIGTECH Africa 2026. Official announcement of the winners, presentation of cash and cloud prizes, and international media coverage. It’s time to shine.
Who is eligible to apply?
The hackathon is open to African tech talent motivated to build the sovereign solutions of tomorrow.
Technical Profile
Engineers & Developers
Backend, frontend, full-stack, cloud architects, DevOps—all technical specializations are welcome. Proficiency in at least one programming language or development framework is required. Experience with APIs, microservices, or machine learning is a plus.
Data & AI
Data Scientists & Students
Master’s or Ph.D. students (in computer science, mathematics, or AI), data analysts, and ML engineers. Knowledge of Python and R tools, ML libraries (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn), and cloud data platforms is a plus.
Entrepreneurs
Young Tech Entrepreneurs
Founders of early-stage startups, product managers, and intrapreneurs looking to prototype a technology idea that puts control in their own hands. Someone with a business background can join a technical team to contribute the product vision, the pitch, and the go-to-market strategy.