ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

The AI for Public Good Challenge is part of UNDP's timbuktoo initiative, connecting government institutions with university talent across five African countries. In Zambia, it is powered by the Mukuba UniPod at Copperbelt University and the UNZA AI UniPod at the University of Zambia.

Over three months, multidisciplinary student teams will work on real operational challenges submitted by Zambian government institutions — building practical, AI-enabled solutions on sovereign computing infrastructure, right here on campus. The strongest team from each UniPod will advance to represent Zambia at the Pan-African Finale.

THE CHALLENGES

Government institutions across Zambia have brought real, unsolved operational problems to the table. These are the five challenges student teams will tackle.

Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA): Proactive Identification of High-Risk Traffic Factors

Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA): SMARTClear — AI-Powered Document Verification

Department of Home Affairs and Internal Relations (INRIS): Passport Guidance and Case Intelligence OR Indexing and Search for Historical National Registration Card Records

Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD): Improving Access to Timely and Understandable Climate Information

Lusaka City Council: AI Citizen Service Assistant for Smart Local Government

WHO CAN APPLY

The AI for Public Good Challenge is open to currently enrolled students at the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University. Teams must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible:

• Teams of 3 to 5 members, drawn from at least two different disciplines
• At least one team member must hold demonstrated technical skills in computer science, data science, software engineering, or a related field
• Additional team members may come from any discipline, including public administration, economics, design, social sciences, or business
• All team members must be currently enrolled students at the same institution
• Teams apply together and to a specific challenge brief

Effective AI solutions require diverse perspectives. Teams that reflect a range of disciplines, backgrounds, and lived experiences — including gender diversity — are strongly encouraged to apply.

WHAT YOU GET

Teams selected for the AI for Public Good Challenge receive the following over the three-month programme:

• A real government problem to solve: Your team will be assigned a challenge brief developed directly with a Zambian government institution. The problem is real, the brief is scoped, and the institution will be engaged throughout.

• Sovereign AI computing infrastructure: Teams have access to high-performance GPU computing infrastructure housed on campus at the Mukuba UniPod and the UNZA AI UniPod — no cloud costs, no access barriers.

• Structured mentorship: Each team receives mentorship from faculty members and a multi-stakeholder panel drawn from government, the private sector, and the innovation ecosystem.

• Performance-based stipends: Participating students receive a stipend disbursed at milestone gates throughout the programme, tied to output quality and team accountability rather than time alone.

• A pathway to Pan-African recognition: The strongest team from each UniPod advances to the Pan-African Finale, where selected teams from across the multiple-country network present their solutions to a continental audience of government representatives, private sector partners, and development finance institutions.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Form your team: Bring together 3 to 5 students from at least two disciplines. Make sure your team includes at least one member with a technical background in computer science, data science, or software engineering.

2. Choose a challenge brief: Review the available challenge briefs above and select the one that best matches your team's skills and interests. Teams apply to a specific brief.

3. Submit your application: Complete and submit your team application before the deadline. Applications are reviewed by the multi-stakeholder panel on disciplinary diversity, proposed approach, prior experience, and clarity of roles.

4. Get to work: Selected teams are notified and onboarded onto the programme. Over the next three months, your team will design, build, and test an AI-enabled solution — supported by mentors, the panel, and sovereign computing infrastructure on campus.

5. Showcase and advance: At the end of the programme, teams pitch their solutions at a country-level showcase. One team per UniPod is selected to represent Zambia at the Pan-African Finale.

APPLY TODAY