Our Roadmap Ahead

Timelines

Key dates from April to September 2026

Applications open to all SADC Member State participants — students, graduates, and professionals. Online portal activates with track selection, team pre-registration, and eligibility verification. University partnership promotions go live across SADC campuses.

Application portal closes. Screening committee reviews submissions against eligibility and track-fit criteria. Shortlisted candidates notified and invited to orientation briefing. Challenge briefs and sovereign datasets released to confirmed participants.

Cross-border teams finalized across all six hackathon tracks. Team charters submitted and approved by mentors. Opening ceremony and participant orientation held virtually across SADC. Teams formally introduced to their dedicated mentors and challenge sponsors.

An intensive, hands-on AI bootcamp designed to equip participants. Participants will work with tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub, Hugging Face, and no-code/low-code platforms like Lovable, Glide, and Firebase to rapidly design and deploy AI-powered solutions.

High-intensity 4-week competitive coding sprint in a 24/7 virtual environment. Live leaderboards rank teams in real time by model accuracy, computational efficiency, and architectural elegance. Mentor office hours, mid-sprint checkpoint reviews, and live performance dashboards active throughout.

Finalist teams present live to a panel of ICT Ministers, venture capital investors, and senior technology executives. Rigorous technical architectural reviews assess scalability, regional deployability, and IP strategy. Judging panel scores teams on impact potential, technical depth, and commercial viability. Scores tabulated by independent auditors.

Day 2 of the KwaZulu-Natal AI Summit. Public announcement of winners across all six tracks. Innovation Fellowship selections confirmed and signed on stage. Government Letters of Intent (LOIs) presented to winning teams. Fellowship stipends and $10,000 seed funding commitments announced. The SADC AI Hackathon concludes as a live procurement and investment forum.

FAQs

When does registration open?

Registration opens on April 1st, 2026.

When is the application deadline?

Applications close on April 31st, 2026, so be sure to apply before then.

What happens after applications close?

In May, teams will be formed, followed by AI bootcamp training and proposal submissions in June.

When is the hackathon sprint?

The AI hackathon sprint takes place in July.

When are presentations and judging?

Presentations and judging happen in August.

When is the award ceremony scheduled?

The award ceremony is on September 4th, 2026, marking the event's exciting conclusion.