Access Youth Tech Forge Opens Applications for November Hackathon

Africa Fintech Foundry has opened applications for Access Youth Tech Forge 2026, a hackathon for technology builders developing commercially viable solutions to problems in African markets. Applications close on 30 October 2026, ahead of the 9–11 November build period and a Demo Day scheduled for 13 November.

The event will take place at Access Towers in Lagos, with a virtual participation option. The organizer lists software engineers, designers, data scientists, machine-learning engineers, product managers, founders, students and recent graduates among the people the programme targets. Applicants must be aged 17–35 and have an idea that is new, commercially viable and capable of scaling.

What Does Access Youth Tech Forge Offer?

Participants will spend 72 hours developing their ideas with guidance from experienced engineers, product leaders and founders. They will also have access to a sandbox environment to support development and testing.

The programme offers:

• ₦10 million in prizes: The total prize money available to successful participants. The official page should be checked for the exact amounts awarded to individual winners.
• US$25,000 worth of acceleration support per top-10 team: Additional support to help the selected teams develop their ideas into market-ready startups. This is not confirmed as cash; applicants should check what services or resources it includes.
• Possible pilot or accelerator opportunities: Selected teams may have opportunities to develop their solutions further, although investment or commercial partnerships are not guaranteed.

 

Which Challenge Themes Can Applicants Choose?

Applicants must select a theme when submitting their application. The programme lists three areas:

• Payments and Financial Infrastructure: Solutions addressing how money moves, settles or is financed, including collections, reconciliation, cross-border transfers and merchant infrastructure.
• Sustainability and Climate-Linked Finance: Technology that helps measure, verify or commercialize climate-related activity and environmental value.
• Creative Technology: Tools that improve how creative work is produced, protected, distributed, discovered, experienced or monetized.

The organizer’s theme guidance emphasizes a defined problem, a solution that offers meaningful value, a credible commercial model and a realistic understanding of relevant technical and regulatory requirements. The precise expectations differ by theme.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

Applicants should meet the following profile:

• Be aged 17–35.
• Be based in Africa.
• Have an idea with commercial potential that can be developed and scaled.
• Have relevant skills or experience in software development, design, data science, machine learning, product management or entrepreneurship. Students and recent graduates are also welcome.
• Be prepared to participate in person in Lagos or virtually, subject to the organizer’s participation requirements.

The official page does not clearly specify all team-size and business-registration requirements. Check the application form or contact the organizer to confirm these details before applying.

How Will Applications Be Assessed?

The published timeline gives applicants a clear first milestone. Applications close on 30 October, and the organizer says applications will be reviewed, with applicants expected to hear back by 4 November 2026.

The challenge-theme guidance also provides indicators of what a strong solution should demonstrate. Depending on the selected theme, these include:

• Evidence that a real problem exists and affects identifiable users or customers.
• A meaningful improvement over existing solutions.
• A working prototype that demonstrates the core functionality.
• A credible commercial model and path to adoption.
• An understanding of relevant technical, regulatory, privacy, licensing or data requirements.

These are the published theme-level solution criteria; the organizer does not present a single consolidated scoring rubric on the main page. Applicants should check the detailed rules for any additional screening or judging requirements.

What Happens After You Apply?

The official schedule sets out the following stages:

• 30 October: Application deadline.
• 4 November: Application review outcome; the organizer says applicants will hear back by this date.
• 9–11 November: The 72-hour hackathon, available in person at Access Towers, Lagos, or virtually.
• 13 November: Demo Day, when teams pitch their solutions to expert judges and industry leaders and compete for the prizes.

The organizer identifies the top 10 teams as finalists who will present to senior management, investors and ecosystem leaders. Its page also describes potential pathways into pilot or accelerator engagement after the event.

The organizer have not fully explained how unsuccessful applicants will be notified, whether every accepted applicant must attend all 72 hours, or the exact conditions for receiving prizes and acceleration support. Applicants should confirm these details through the official programme channels.

What Should Applicants Prepare?

Before applying, prospective participants should choose one of the three themes, define the problem they want to solve and explain who experiences it. They should be ready to show why the proposed solution is useful and commercially plausible.

For the payments theme, that could mean explaining a specific gap in collections or settlement. A climate-finance idea should establish how the environmental value would be measured and verified. A creative-technology project should identify the people or businesses that would use or pay for the product.

How to Apply

Applications are scheduled to close on 30 October 2026. Interested technology builders should review the eligibility details, select a challenge theme and submit their application through the official website.

Official application and programme information: Access Youth Tech Forge 2026 — Africa Fintech Foundry

For applicants, the immediate priority is to submit a clear proposal before the deadline and prepare to explain the problem, intended users, technical approach and commercial potential if selected.