UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking Women Hackathon 2025

The UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking Women Hackathon 2025 invites proposals to address the gap in innovations supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as the gender gap in software development in Africa.

📜 About the Hackathon

The UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking is organizing its 3rd Annual Women's Hackathon, targeting 45 passionate young women developers (organized in teams of three) from Eastern and Southern Africa. The hackathon focuses on:

• Theme: Innovate for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
• Objective: Develop innovative software applications to tackle climate change challenges and promote gender equity in software development.

🛠️ Approach

The hackathon will be conducted in two phases:

1. Virtual Phase:

   • 15 teams (3 members each) will be selected competitively.
   • Teams will work with academic and industrial experts to develop digital proof-of-concept solutions addressing climate change challenges.
   • Webinars on relevant topics will be conducted to build skills and confidence among participants.
   • Teams will pitch their solutions at the end of this phase.

2. In-Person Phase:

   • The top three teams will participate in a 3-day hackathon as a pre-event to the UbuntuNet Connect Conference 2025 in Harare, Zimbabwe (October 2025).
   • Teams will present their refined concepts during the conference, where winners will be announced and celebrated.

🎁 Benefits

Participants will enjoy the following benefits:

• Certificates of participation for all participants.
• Travel and accommodation costs fully covered.
• Opportunity to attend the UbuntuNet-Connect 2025 Conference in Zimbabwe.
• Internship opportunities with the UbuntuNet Alliance NRENs.
• Industry linkages.
• Mentorship opportunities.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To participate, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Gender: Open to female participants.
• Education: Pursuing or holding a university degree in:
  • Software Engineering
  • Information Technology
  • Information Systems
  • Computer Science
  • Related fields
• Experience: Students or recent graduates (not more than 5 years post-graduation).
• Residency: Must be from and residing in one of the following countries:
  • Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Congo, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• Participation: Must not have participated in a previous UbuntuNet Alliance Women Hackathon.

🏆 Selection Criteria

The submitted concepts will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance: The proposed idea solves a problem and aligns with the theme.
• Innovation: The idea is creative and original.
• Skills: The team possesses the necessary programming skills to implement the idea.
• Feasibility: The proposed idea is practical and achievable.

📅 Application Process

Submission Guidelines:

• Submit a concept note (3-5 pages, excluding the cover page) with the following details:

  • Font: Times New Roman, size 12, single spacing.
  • Content:
    • Introduction
    • Background/relevance
    • Proposed objectives (leading to the development of an ICT solution)
    • Methodology (based on the software development lifecycle, including necessary technologies)
    • Programming skills of team members
    • Previous experience
    • Links to developed work
    • Education level and year of graduation (past or future)
  • Cover Page: Include the topic, team member details (names, email addresses, and phone numbers).

• Submit your concept note via the application portal.

📌 Key Dates

• Date Published: May 28, 2025
• Application Deadline: June 20, 2025
• Hackathon Event: October 2025 (as part of the UbuntuNet Connect Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe)

🌟 Sponsor Organization

The hackathon is sponsored by the UbuntuNet Alliance.

For more details and to apply, visit the official event page.

• Certificates of participation for all participants
• Travel and accommodation costs fully covered
• Opportunity to attend the UbuntuNet-Connect 2025 conference in Zimbabwe
• Possibility of internship opportunities with the UbuntuNet Alliance NRENS
• Linkage to the industry
• Opportunity for Mentorship