African Agentic AI Design Challenge — Agentic AI for Africa

About this opportunity

The African Agentic AI Design Challenge is a fast, pan-African build sprint open not only to developers but to any problem solver resident anywhere in Africa. The brief is direct: build an agentic AI — using MCP plus open-source tools — that solves a real workflow problem facing African institutions. Every track shares the same shape: a genuine operational bottleneck, and a non-negotiable human-in-the-loop rule. Your agent recommends; a human in the loop decides. Teams get seven days to build, then twenty minutes of live review in their own code. The top 40 submissions are shortlisted and receive mentor support and compute credits, and the best ten go on to showcase at the MCP Dev Summit in Nairobi this November. The top 40 also form the first cohort of a visible pan-African pipeline of agentic AI developers — submitting is how you enter it.

Who can apply

• Builders resident anywhere in Africa (fully pan-African eligibility)
• Any discipline — developers and problem solvers both welcome
• Comfortable building with MCP and open-source tooling
• Must respect the human-in-the-loop rule: the agent recommends, a human decides
• Willing to present a working build live in a 20-minute review

What you get

• Shortlisting for the top 40 with mentor support and compute credits
• Showcase slot at the MCP Dev Summit in Nairobi for the best 10
• Entry into the first cohort of a visible pan-African agentic AI developer pipeline
• Exposure to institutional partners across healthcare, governance, agriculture and education
• Four distinct briefs with full scenarios, sub-themes, requirements, prizes, rubric and rules
• Network with the Nairobi AI Community and Qhala builders

How to apply

1. 1
   Review eligibility

   Check that you meet all criteria before starting your application.

2. 2
   Prepare documents

   Gather transcripts, recommendation letters, and any required essays or statements.

3. 3
   Submit application

   Apply directly through the official link below. Deadline: 9 October 2026.