NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 11 – The Cortex Hub has unveiled the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Hackathon Africa 2025, a pan-African initiative aimed at embedding African languages, culture, and priorities into the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Running from September to November across more than 40 cities, the eight-week program will bring together developers, researchers, startups, and students to design solutions using MCP, an emerging open standard that enables applications to deliver structured, locally relevant information to large language models.
The initiative will conclude with a continental showcase in Cape Town on November 11–12, where finalists will pitch their innovations to investors, incubators, and global technology leaders.
The hackathon comes as Africa intensifies efforts to assert digital sovereignty and reduce reliance on foreign AI technologies.
Governments and regional bodies, including the African Union, have identified AI as a driver of economic transformation but warned against systems that overlook local realities.
By integrating African languages, legal frameworks, and development goals into MCP servers, organizers say the event will strengthen Africa’s voice in global AI standards.
Participants will work from innovation hubs across all five African regions, receiving mentorship, peer support, and technical resources such as MCP documentation and starter code repositories.
Focus areas will include telecommunications, fintech, agriculture, logistics, and public services sectors seen as critical to Africa’s development.
A prize pool of $9,500 has been allocated, with $5,000 for the best overall solution, $3,500 for outstanding innovation, and $1,000 for execution excellence.
Winners will also gain visibility at AfricaCom, one of the continent’s leading technology events.
Top African tech leaders welcomed the hackathon.
Datacentrix CEO Ahmed Mohamed described MCP as the glue turning algorithms into practical intelligence, while Seacom’s Alpheus Mangale said participation was about building Africa’s cognitive infrastructure.
Mauritius Telecom’s Veemal Gungadin called it a chance for youth to write the next chapter of AI, and CSquared’s Ian Paterson noted that AI agents are reshaping the internet.
Solcon Capital’s Pramod Venkatesh emphasized the need for sovereign AI to ensure independence, security, and cultural relevance.
Andile Ngcaba, Patron of The Cortex Hub, said, “The Model Context Protocol is Africa’s opportunity to move from being consumers of AI to creators of the standards that govern it.”
TESPOK CEO Fiona Asonga added, “This hackathon provides a great opportunity for the youth of Kenya and East Africa to test their skills in Artificial Intelligence, such as building AI Agents, Agentic AI, and MCPs.”
Backed by TESPOK, Seacom, Mauritius Telecom, CSquared, Solcon Capital, and Datacentrix, the initiative reflects Africa’s determination to shape AI’s global future on its own terms.
