In a bold step to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and tap into the immense potential of digital trade, Nigeria’s AfCFTA Coordination Office has officially endorsed the country’s first AfCFTA Hackathon, offering a grand prize of N20 million to the winning team.
This pioneering initiative is spearheaded by Cherith-Code Concept Ltd, an international trade consortium, in collaboration with a suite of strategic partners including Ascend Studios Foundation, Amazon Web Services, GFA Technologies, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Real Sources Africa—a Kenya-based firm.
Announced in a statement from the Coordination Office, the Hackathon is set to become an annual, high-impact event that will spotlight the opportunities embedded in the newly adopted AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol.
Mr. Olusegun Olutayo, Senior Trade Expert and Lead at the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, who also serves as Director of the Hackathon Project, highlighted that the challenge is designed to empower Nigeria’s tech-savvy youth and align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This is more than a competition—it is a platform to harness the digital energy of Nigerian innovators and entrepreneurs to position our country as a digital trade leader on the continent,” Olutayo stated.
The inaugural Hackathon will take place from May 1–3, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial and technology innovation nerve center. It will serve as the flagship event of the Science of Trade (SOT) Conference 2025, hosted by Ascend Studios Foundation.
Dr. Inya Lawal, Convener of the SOT Conference, expressed excitement about the collaboration and the Hackathon’s transformative potential: “This is about enabling real, tech-driven solutions that can scale and empower Africa’s digital economy.”
According to Cherith-Code Concept’s COO, the Hackathon represents a strategic inflection point for Africa’s approach to cross-border trade, harnessing local solutions to meet continental challenges in the digital trade space.
The event also builds on the momentum from AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol workshops held in Lagos and Abuja in 2024, themed “Preparedness for AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol,” which engaged a wide range of stakeholders in the digital ecosystem.
The Hackathon will be further elevated by the presence of AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, who is expected to attend as a special guest. Mene will deliver a keynote address, sit on the jury panel, and provide strategic mentorship and policy direction during the event.
With the launch of this first-of-its-kind event in Africa, the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office is calling on developers, tech entrepreneurs, policy experts, and digital trade stakeholders to be part of this groundbreaking moment, as Nigeria positions itself at the forefront of the continent’s digital trade revolution.
To compete in the Hackathon, register here: https://afcftahackathon.com/
To attend the event, register here: http://bit.ly/NigeriaAfCFTAHackathon2025