Hack A Green Future

Theme: Digital and Technology-enabled Climate Resilience Solutions

About the Hackathon

  • Dates: 14th – 16th November 2025
  • Venue: timbuktoo GreenTech Hub, Konza Technopolis

The Hack-a-GreenFuture Hackathon 2025 will bring together young innovators, startups, students, researchers, entrepreneurs, county governments, development partners, and private sector actors to co-create technology-driven, scalable solutions for Africa’s green transition.

Hosted at the timbuktoo GreenTech Hub in partnership with Konza Technopolis, UNDP, Youth Enterprise Development Fund, and the County Governments of Machakos, Makueni, and Kajiado, the hackathon aims to accelerate climate action and green growth by harnessing Africa’s talent and creativity.

Theme: Digital and Technology-enabled Climate Resilience Solutions

Participants will work on real county challenges, including:

Open Challenge: 

How might we design affordable, tech-enabled climate information systems that integrate and contextualize fragmented data into timely, localized insights—so that communities can make better resilience and adaptation decisions by 2030?

County Challenge:

  • Kajiado: How might we design innovative and tech-enabled solutions to control and eventually eradicate the invasive ipomoea weed—protecting pasturelands, improving livestock feed availability, and strengthening community resilience to climate shocks?
  • Makueni: How might we design climate-smart, tech-enabled solutions that connect farmers to reliable markets for their produce, reducing post-harvest losses, increasing incomes, and strengthening resilience to climate shocks?
  • Machakos: How might we create tech-enabled solutions that strengthen linkages between waste generators, aggregators, and users to promote the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of household and agricultural waste for greener livelihoods and a cleaner environment?

Who Can Apply?

We welcome applications from:

  • Youth (18–35 years) passionate about solving climate challenges
  • Multidisciplinary teams (3–5 members) combining technical, business, and community knowledge
  • Individuals 

Special encouragement is given to:

  • Women innovators and entrepreneurs
  • Persons with disabilities (PWDs)
  • Young people from ASALs and informal settlements

 

Why Participate?

  • Experimentation Support: Selected teams will test their solutions with county governments. The organizers will procure tools, resources, and services needed for deployment.
  • Mentorship: Access to experts in climate, entrepreneurship, policy, and technology.
  • Networking: Connect with government, private sector, and development partners.
  • Skills Building: Workshops on design thinking, pitching, and prototyping.
  • Visibility: Showcase your solution to investors, policymakers, and the media.

 

Key Dates

  • Applications Open: 30th September 2025
  • Deadline for Applications: 12th October 2025
  • Notification of Selected Participants: 17th October 2025
  • Hackathon: 14th – 16th November 2025

 

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

  • Relevance: Clear link to county climate resilience challenges
  • Actionability: Feasible to prototype within 48 hours
  • Innovation: Novelty and tech-enabled approach
  • Impact: Potential to benefit communities, ecosystems, or livelihoods
  • Inclusivity: Diversity in gender, background, and disciplines

 

Rules & IP Terms

  • All participants must uphold a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment.
  • Intellectual Property (IP): All ideas remain with the innovators. By participating, teams grant organizers the right to document, showcase, and promote solutions for learning and visibility.

  • Acceleration Support: Instead of cash prizes, selected solutions will receive in-kind experimentation support, including:

      - Linkages with county governments
      - Procurement of necessary tools and resources
      - Deployment opportunities in real-world contexts

  • Participation does not guarantee future funding beyond the experimentation phase.

How to Apply

Apply online here: Link