The program is open for team and individual sign-ups. The organisers hope to engage 10,000 tech-savvy and socially conscious participants, 300 mentors and at least 100 community building organizations from both the EU and Africa. In line with the Africa-Europe Digital Economy Task Force report, the AU Agenda 2063 and the United Nations sustainable development goals, the competition is looking for ideas in 11 areas: education, food security, health and wellness, governance, economy and entrepreneurship, Smart Cities in Africa, cyber security and data protection, big data, banking and finance, job security, vulnerable populations.
Two online matchmaking sessions will be held before the hackathon on 28th November and 5th December to combine the best teams for ideas. To give a new dimension to the European-African partnership, cross-continent mixed teams are encouraged.
The most promising teams will receive guidance and support to implement their projects in the real world. Post-hackathon support to the teams will include a matchmaking event with investors, experts and relevant organisations as well as post-hackathon mentoring for up to six months.
The EU:Africa hackathon prize fund is 100K €, and the organisation of the hackathon is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia’s development cooperation funds together with contributions from Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Poland.