Codefest Africa wants hackathons to run all year
Codefest Africa plans a year-round platform where companies post challenges and innovators build solutions, to be shown at Lagos Innovate on 19 November.
The facts
- Codefest Africa says its 2025 hackathon drew more than 5,000 participants and 92 teams, according to Technext.
- The group wants companies to post challenges as they arise, so innovators can build solutions that move towards testing and real-world use.
- The plan will be shown at Lagos Innovate 2026, hosted by Lagos State University. Its Innovation Expo and Awards is set for November 19.
- No launch date or funding details for the platform were given. Technext is the event's media partner.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Hackathons are easy to run and easy to forget. Teams build for a weekend, win or lose, then disperse. The group's own diagnosis is the honest part: promising ideas lose momentum before they reach real users. Nigeria has no shortage of trained developers. The gap is between a demo and a paying customer, and that is the problem a year-round model has to solve.
For builders
If you build, watch for companies actually posting challenges, not just announcing support. A real problem owner who will pilot your product is worth more than a prize. With no launch date or funding model yet, treat this as a plan, not a platform.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Technext's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.