Upward thrust Networks, the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), Meta, Google and Microsoft have introduced a ₦10 million synthetic intelligence (AI) hackathon forward of Nigeria’s 2027 normal elections, with the whole winner set to obtain ₦4 million, the runner-up ₦2.5 million and the third-place winner ₦1.5 million.
The #AI4Elections Hackathon 2026–2027 will even be offering 4 particular prizes of ₦500,000 each and every for inventions in analysis and coverage, electoral and civic inclusion, accountable AI and protection, and cybersecurity and resilience.
Programs which opened on October 22, will shut on November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. West African Time, in line with a commentary through the organisers.
The programme, which runs from October 2026 to February 2027, will come with a countrywide finale and innovation exhibit in Lagos on December 16, 2026, adopted through technical make stronger for promising tasks.
Organised through Upward thrust Networks with make stronger from the MacArthur Basis and Luminate, the initiative seeks to mobilise Nigerian generation skill to broaden sensible AI answers that may make stronger electoral integrity, fortify get entry to to dependable knowledge and advertise public self belief in democratic establishments.
The programme comes amid rising issues in regards to the affect of AI on knowledge manufacturing and virtual conversation, specifically the unfold of incorrect information, AI-generated photographs and movies, privateness dangers, cybersecurity threats and the possible manipulation of electoral knowledge.
It additionally builds on Upward thrust Networks’ Run-Am, an AI-powered incorrect information detection and fact-checking utility advanced for Nigeria’s 2023 normal elections.
Founding father of Upward thrust Networks, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, mentioned the initiative was once designed to inspire accountable technological innovation that protects the integrity of the electoral procedure slightly than introduce generation with out good enough attention of its dangers.
“Our ambition isn’t to introduce generation for generation’s sake. We’re dedicated to selling accountable AI innovation that respects the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral procedure, protects electorate’ rights, and prioritises transparency, privateness, and human oversight. Innovation will have to make stronger our democracy, no longer create new vulnerabilities for it,” she mentioned.
Akerele-Ogunsiji mentioned Nigeria had to get ready for the rising position of generation in elections through growing answers that deal with the rustic’s electoral realities.
“We will have to start to harness the ability of synthetic intelligence to make stronger electoral integrity, amplify get entry to to knowledge, and construct larger public self belief in our democratic establishments. The #AI4Elections Hackathon is a chance to carry our brightest minds in combination to broaden answers that reply to the realities of our electoral procedure,” she added.
The initiative will focal point on 5 important spaces: AI and Devoted Electoral Data; Electoral Information Research, Operational Insights and Resolution Fortify; Inclusive and Multilingual Electoral and Civic Generation; Electoral Cybersecurity and Resilience; and Election Statement and Citizen Responsibility.
Local weather resilience and environmental innovation can be thought to be as a cross-cutting theme.
Members are anticipated to broaden technically credible answers, together with instrument programs, prototypes, AI gear and fashions, data-analysis programs, obtainable civic generation, multilingual interfaces and open-source elements.
Past the contest, the commentary mentioned the programme will function thru 3 attached elements: the hackathon, an Elections Building Hub and an Electoral Neighborhood of Follow.
The hackathon will supply a platform for members to design, broaden and show their answers. The Building Hub will make stronger additional checking out and refinement of promising tasks, whilst the Neighborhood of Follow will attach members, mentors and establishments to maintain finding out and collaboration past the contest.
The programme is open to Nigerians and other people of Nigerian starting place elderly 18 and above. Eligible members come with college scholars, researchers, instrument builders, AI engineers, records scientists, cybersecurity pros, generation marketers, civic-tech innovators, electoral mavens, civil society practitioners, product designers, accessibility consultants and coverage pros.
Candidates might input for my part or in groups of as much as 4 contributors. Group-matching make stronger might be to be had to folks in quest of collaborators, whilst all submissions will have to be made in English.
The organisers mentioned non-Nigerians, proposals restricted to concepts, presentation decks or mock-ups, and tasks that had already gained grants, awards or popularity in earlier competitions would no longer be eligible.
Talking at a press convention in Abuja, Dr Lawrence Bayode mentioned the problem was once to harness AI’s possible with out compromising the credibility of elections.
“The query earlier than us is now not whether or not AI has a job to play in an election, however how we will be able to harness its possible with out compromising the integrity, transparency and credibility of the electoral procedure,” he mentioned.
Meta’s Head of Public Coverage for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, mentioned the corporate would paintings with INEC to advertise dependable election knowledge and deal with false claims, together with deceptive movies and photographs created the usage of AI.
She highlighted Meta’s “Take away, Cut back and Tell” method to damaging content material and its GovGuide Nigeria AI chatbot, which gives government-related knowledge in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Dada mentioned AI-powered election gear will have to stay politically impartial and function underneath human oversight, stressing the significance of devoted knowledge to electoral credibility.
“Nigeria issues such a lot, drastically, to Meta,” she mentioned.
“The 2027 elections topic some distance past Nigeria’s borders. If Nigeria will get it proper on devoted knowledge, the continent will be informed from it and, certainly, the sector,” she added.
Different audio system, together with Lagos Trade College Dean, Prof. Olayinka David-West, and felony practitioner Tsema Ede, mentioned AI may just assist fortify election control, together with effects control, however emphasized the desire for transparency and public believe.
The organisers wired that the hackathon was once no longer supposed to broaden partisan marketing campaign generation, affect citizens’ political personal tastes or intervene with election management.
Tasks will have to agree to rules of non-partisanship, equivalent remedy, appreciate for electoral regulation, coverage of private knowledge and human oversight. Unauthorised checking out of are living electoral programs or get entry to to institutional infrastructure might be prohibited.
Additionally they clarified that profitable the contest would no longer routinely authorise an answer for operational use in an election. Any next pilot or deployment involving electoral establishments will require the related felony, institutional, technical and safety approvals.
The initiative brings in combination generation, electoral, educational and civil society companions, together with the World Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Google, Microsoft, Meta, NITHUB on the College of Lagos, the Centre for Data Generation and Building (CITAD), CLEEN Basis, Faucet Initiative for Voters’ Building, the World Press Centre (IPC), Criminal Naija, Ahmadu Bello College and the Federal College of Generation, Akure.
Upward thrust Networks additionally invited generation corporations, monetary establishments, telecommunications operators, construction companions, foundations, universities and analysis establishments to make stronger the programme thru sponsorship, infrastructure, mentorship, analysis and incubation.
It added that additional knowledge on eligibility and programs is to be had at ai4elections.risenetworks.org.
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