About this opportunity
The United Nations Population Fund, together with the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme, the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate through the AU Innovation Lab, UNDP, UNICEF and UN Women, invites young innovators across Africa to the SafeTech Africa HackLab '26. The challenge was launched at the African Union Innovation Festival in Addis Ababa under the theme Vibrant Youth Ecosystems for AI and Digital Sovereignty.
Entries should be original, practical, youth led solutions that tackle technology facilitated violence against women and girls, child marriage and female genital mutilation. Teams choose one of three themes, safe physical and community spaces, safe informational spaces for accurate health education, and safe digital spaces that counter anti rights narratives and online harm.
Four winning teams receive seed grants of between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000, and shortlisted finalists receive pitch coaching and virtual mentorship before presenting live at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026. Solutions must work where connectivity is unreliable, so offline and low data approaches such as USSD, SMS fallback and lightweight apps are valued.
Teams of 2 to 5 members are encouraged, ideas can be at concept, prototype or early pilot stage, and applicants keep ownership of their intellectual property. Entries close on 18 October 2026 at 23:59 CAT.
What you receive
- Four winners receive seed grants ranging between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 each
- Pitch coaching and a live presentation at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026 for shortlisted finalists
- Virtual mentorship for shortlisted teams using the UNFPA Social Innovation Toolkit
- Direct exposure to investors, venture funds and continental development partners at the summit
- Continental visibility across UNFPA, Spotlight Initiative and African Union media channels
- Applicants retain ownership of their intellectual property
Who can apply
- Young African innovators aged 18 to 35, residing in Eastern and Southern Africa or Western and Central Africa
- Teams of 2 to 5 members are strongly encouraged, with one designated team lead as the primary contact
- Solutions may be at concept stage, early functional prototype stage or early pilot stage
- Teams must apply under one theme only
- Solutions must work in low bandwidth, high cost or intermittent connectivity environments, with offline or low data approaches explained
- Female led startups and gender balanced teams with at least 50 percent female membership are prioritised
Who should not apply
- Applications submitted under multiple categories are not evaluated
- Solutions must comply with standards on ethical AI, human rights and data privacy
Documents to prepare
- Team lead and member details, ages, gender composition, nationalities, contact information and roles
- Selection of one challenge theme
- A problem statement of up to 200 words describing the affected community, where they are, the challenge and the cost of inaction
- An innovation description of up to 700 words covering how the product works, technology used, user benefits and scalability
- A 12 month implementation roadmap with outputs and milestones
- A digital safety and inclusion note covering safeguarding, data privacy and accessibility
How to apply
- Confirm your team has 2 to 5 members and choose one of the three themes, safe physical and community spaces, safe informational spaces, or safe digital spaces.
- Open the official application form at https://forms.gle/ygJb48Kpk6KLwbGQA and enter your team details, problem statement of up to 200 words and innovation description of up to 700 words.
- Add your 12 month implementation roadmap and the digital safety and inclusion note on safeguarding, data privacy and accessibility.
- Submit before 18 October 2026 at 23:59 CAT.
Selection process
- Entries are scored out of 100 points on problem solution fit, innovation and originality, feasibility and viability, inclusivity and disability accessibility, youth leadership, scalability and impact potential, and safety, privacy and ethics
- Shortlisted finalists receive pitch coaching and present live at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026
Sources and verification
Questions applicants ask
Which countries are covered?
The challenge is open to young innovators living in the Eastern and Southern Africa and Western and Central Africa regions, with solutions on child marriage from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone strongly encouraged.
My idea is only a concept, can I still apply?
Yes, concept stage, early functional prototype and early pilot stage solutions are all accepted.
Do we keep the rights to our idea?
Yes, applicants retain ownership of their intellectual property, and solutions must meet standards on ethical AI, human rights and data privacy.
Important disclaimer
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