MCP hackathon unites 40 African cities to build local tech power

The new continent-wide initiative will run from September to November across more than 40 African cities to assert digital and AI sovereignty by integrating regional languages, cultures, and development priorities into artificial intelligence architecture, Business Insider Africa reported.

Organized by The Cortex Hub, the hackathon will host startups, developers, students, and researchers engaging them in bootcamps, local hubs, mentorship, with access to starter code and documentation. Their goal is to build solutions using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-standard framework designed to provide locally relevant, structured context to large language models.

Suggested applications include providing farmers with real-time contextual data, securing payment systems, and boosting cross-border trade.

Image: techeconomy.ng

The event culminates in a continental showcase in Cape Town on November 11–12, where finalists will pitch their solutions to investors, incubators, and tech leaders, in a bid to secure funding. The overall prize pool is $9,500 US dollars, with $5,000 for the best overall solution, $3,500 for outstanding innovation, and $1,000 for excellence in execution.

The organizers refer to this hackathon as something broader than a competition. “This is Africa’s chance to move from being consumers of AI to shaping the standards for it,” said patron Andile Ngcaba, noting that MCP servers coded with African context could revolutionize the field.

This initiative ultimately aims to create a more autonomous future for AI in Africa, grounded in the continent's local context, including its languages, priorities, and infrastructure.