The Cortex Hub has unveiled the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Hackathon Africa 2025, a continent-wide program aimed at embedding African languages, culture, and development priorities into the next generation of Artificial Intelligence. Running from September to November across more than 40 cities, the initiative will unite developers, startups, researchers, and students to build practical AI solutions using MCP, an emerging open standard that ensures applications deliver structured, locally relevant information to large language models.
The eight-week hackathon will climax in Cape Town on November 11–12, where finalists will showcase their innovations to investors, incubators, and technology leaders worldwide. With participation spread across Southern, West, Central, East, and North Africa, the program will feature bootcamps, mentorship, peer collaborations, and access to technical resources to support participants in addressing real-life challenges in sectors such as fintech, agriculture, logistics, telecommunications, and public services.
A prize pool of $9,500 is on offer, with $5,000 for the best overall solution, $3,500 for outstanding innovation, and $1,000 for execution excellence. Beyond cash prizes, winners will also gain visibility at AfricaCom, one of the continent’s largest technology events. Organizers say the hackathon is a strategic step toward ensuring Africa shapes the infrastructure of Artificial General Intelligence by contributing its own languages, legal systems, and priorities, thereby strengthening digital sovereignty.
Supported by partners including TESPOK, Seacom, Mauritius Telecom, CSquared, Solcon Capital, and Datacentrix, the hackathon has been described as Africa’s chance to move from being consumers to creators of global AI standards. According to Andile Ngcaba, Patron of The Cortex Hub, the initiative will embed African contexts into the very fabric of AI’s evolution, while corporate partners stressed that MCP will enable ethical, contextualized AI rooted in African realities, ensuring the continent takes a central role in shaping the future of global technology