Africa sets stage for AI sovereignty with launch of Model Context Protocol hackathon

The Cortex Hub has announced the launch of the MCP Hackathon Africa 2025, a continent-wide initiative designed to embed African languages, culture, and priorities into the next generation of Artificial Intelligence.

Running across more than 40 cities from September to November 2025, the eight-week programme will unite developers, researchers, startups, and students to build practical solutions using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an emerging open standard that enables applications to deliver structured, locally relevant information to large language models. The hackathon will culminate in a continental showcase in Cape Town on 11–12 November 2025, where finalists will present to investors, incubators, and technology leaders from across the globe.

The MCP Hackathon Africa 2025 is a strategic effort to ensure Africa plays a leading role in shaping the infrastructure of Artificial General Intelligence. By contributing African languages, legal systems, and development priorities to MCP servers, participants will help safeguard digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on closed technologies.

Participants can join local hubs in more than 40 cities spanning across  Southern Africa including South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and Mauritius; West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal; Central Africa, including Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia; and North Africa, including Morocco and Egypt where they will access bootcamps, mentorship, peer collaboration, and technical resources including starter code repositories and MCP documentation to support their builds.

Innovation tracks will focus on telecommunications, financial technology, agriculture, logistics, and public services, addressing practical challenges from empowering smallholder farmers with real-time information, to strengthening secure payment systems, to designing logistics platforms that support cross-border trade.

A total prize pool of US$9,500 will be awarded, with a grand prize of US$5,000 for the best overall solution, US$3,500 for outstanding innovation, and US$1,000 for excellence in execution. Winners will also gain visibility at AfricaCom, one of the continent’s largest technology events, where they will present their work to investors and industry leaders.

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. By coding MCP servers for our towns and cities, participants will be embedding African contexts, cultures, and priorities into the very fabric of AI’s evolution.”

MCP Hackathon Africa 2025 is supported by leading technology partners including TESPOK, Seacom, Mauritius Telecom, CSquared, Solcon Capital, and Datacentrix, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing Africa’s digital future. Developers, students, researchers, and startups are invited to register now at https://www.jotform.com/form/252522409410548

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