Students participating in the Africa AI Literacy Week Hackathon have called on technology partners to support young innovators with critical resources to advance artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions across the continent. The event, hosted by Qhala, Huawei, and Konza Technopolis, brought together 50 students from various African universities, including a cohort from Moi University.
Speaking during the award ceremony, Ian Njenga, a member of the winning team, emphasized the need for investment in youth innovation. “We’re asking our partners to give resources to students things like internet, laptops, servers, and online training,” Njenga said. “This will help us increase our creativity and develop solutions to problems in agriculture, unemployment, education, climate change, and health.”
Participants were tasked with developing AI-powered tools to address real-world challenges in sectors such as Agriculture, Fintech, Healthcare, Education, and Governance. Agriculture, a vital sector for Africa’s economy and food security, took center stage, inspiring impactful innovations.
Njenga’s team won the top prize for creating an AI-powered platform that predicts agricultural market prices. By analyzing historical data, current market trends, and weather patterns, the tool helps farmers anticipate price fluctuations for products like milk. The goal is to reduce market uncertainty, combat exploitation, and improve profitability for smallholder farmers.
“We know that in Africa, agriculture is what will improve our lives,” said Njenga. “With AI, you can predict prices of agricultural goods and support farmers in planning better.”
The hackathon also sparked conversations on the dual nature of AI its potential and its risks. “We know artificial intelligence is quite the demon it can take away jobs,” Njenga warned. “But we’re asking, how can it be used to solve unemployment, climate change, and challenges in education and healthcare?”
Two teams tied for second place. One built a data collection and AI chatbot system for farmers, offering personalized guidance in local languages, even without steady internet access. The other developed an AI and Augmented Reality (AR) mobile app that overlays real-time building intelligence through a smartphone camera.
The event highlighted both the promise of Africa’s tech-savvy youth and the urgent need for deeper partnerships to empower their innovations.
