Hedera Launches Africa’s Largest Web3 Hackathon with $1M+ Prize Pool

• Hedera Hashgraph has unveiled the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025, aimed at empowering developers with a prize pool exceeding $1 million.
  
• The hackathon is a joint endeavor between the Hashgraph Association, a Swiss non-profit organization, and the Exponential Science Foundation.

The Hedera Hashgraph Association, a Swiss non-profit organisation that is committed to advancing Hedera-powered solutions, has just announced something big via a detailed thread on X. The organization is launching the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 in partnership with Exponential Science Foundation. This global initiative, which is coming with a prize pool of over $1 million, is a move to empower developers and drive digital innovation across Africa.

This builds on partnerships that were made earlier this month. The Hashgraph Association collaborated with Dar Blockchain, a company focused on strengthening the Web3 ecosystem in the MENA region through education and hackathons as well.

The team launched Hedera Academy, a free training and certification program aimed at preparing 10,000 developers in Hedera Hashgraph technology, as part of preparations for the hackathon. The goal? To give participants “the skills necessary to excel in the upcoming competition and contribute meaningfully to the Web3 space.”

What’s the Hackathon All About?

According to the announcement, this hackathon will run from August 1 to September 30. The plan is to combine in-person events in more than 20 African cities with a global virtual track open to everyone, as the team expects over 10,000 participants from 15+ countries.

Developers that will be present will be challenged to build real-world solutions in industries like: Finance, Healthcare, Telecom, Sustainability, Agriculture, and Manufacturing. And they’ll be using some serious tech, from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT to Robotics and Quantum Computing.

Some Hackathon Tracks will include: On-Chain Finance & RWA Tokenization, ESG Sustainability & Traceability, Self-Sovereign Identity & AI, Gaming, Metaverse & NFTs. Already, in-person events that are confirmed are for cities like Nairobi, Lagos, Cairo, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis. Virtual participation will be open for developers who can not make it in person to the assigned venues.

This event is open to everyone, not just seasoned blockchain developers. Thanks to the free training offered through Hedera Academy and hands-on support from Hedera-certified engineers, participants will have the resources and guidance they need every step of the way. With the backing of more than 50 partners and the support of over 100 universities and tech hubs, this initiative goes beyond a typical hackathon.

“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.

“Initiatives such as the Hedera Africa Hackathon encourage the next generation of tech builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs, 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,” said Paolo Tasca, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Exponential Science Foundation.

According to our market data, Hedera’s native token HBAR has recorded a 3.14% decline in the last 24 hours and a drop of 4% in the last seven days. As indicated in our previous analysis, HBAR is threatening to break the $0.18 support level from the $0.20 peak recorded on its daily time frame.

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