Tech Policy Hackathon 2025

This year, the Center for Law and Innovation, in partnership with API Intelligence and Tech Hive Advisory, hosted the second edition of the Tech Policy Hackathon. The six-week virtual program brought together 60 participants from across Africa, selected from over 120 applicants, to engage deeply with the complex challenges of governing emerging technologies. 

The hackathon opened with two weeks of expert-led sessions that introduced participants to regulatory models, AI ethics, data governance, and digital infrastructure. These conversations grounded the cohort in both global frameworks and African realities, laying the foundation for thoughtful and context-aware policy thinking.

Participants then turned their attention to a shared policy challenge set in a near-future scenario. While hypothetical, the case reflected real and emerging regulatory dilemmas facing African policymakers today. With support from mentors, teams worked to develop policy responses that demonstrated both legal precision and a clear understanding of the technological, ethical, and governance questions at stake.

As teams prepare to present their proposals to a panel of judges drawn from across sectors, the hackathon stands as a reflection of what thoughtful, collaborative policy design can look like. It reaffirms the importance of investing in spaces where imagination meets expertise, and where the future of technology governance is shaped not in isolation, but through collective effort.

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