The Africa’s Talking Open Hackathon is an immersive, innovation-driven event that brings together developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts to create groundbreaking hardware-based solutions. With the increasing demand for IoT, remote monitoring, and automation, the integration of hardware with communication platforms has become pivotal in transforming industries. This hackathon provides a unique opportunity for participants to explore the seamless connectivity of hardware with Africa’s Talking APIs, enabling real-time data sharing and smarter automation.

The focus of this hackathon is to bridge the gap between hardware and digital communication, opening doors to smarter applications across various sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, energy, and logistics. Through a combination of Africa’s Talking tools, innovation, and collaboration, participants will address real-world challenges in Kenya and beyond.

This event is not just about coding; it is about building tangible, real-world impact through technology. Developers, innovators, and hardware enthusiasts will collaborate, prototype, and deploy functional solutions that leverage Africa’s Talking’s robust APIs.

Challenges Addressed in the Kenyan Market

Kenya, like many developing nations, faces unique infrastructural and connectivity challenges that hinder efficient service delivery and business operations. Through this hackathon, we aim to tackle some of the country’s most pressing issues by harnessing hardware integration and Africa’s Talking API capabilities.

1. Agricultural Automation and Monitoring
• Remote soil and weather monitoring using sensors and Africa’s Talking APIs for real-time alerts.
• Automated pest detection systems that notify farmers via SMS or USSD.
2. Healthcare Accessibility and Monitoring
• IoT-powered patient monitoring systems for remote areas.
• Smart medicine dispensers with USSD-based authentication for prescription adherence.
• Emergency alert systems using SMS and Voice APIs to connect patients with healthcare providers.
3. Smart Energy Management
• IoT-based energy meters for efficient power consumption monitoring.
• Remote energy system control using Africa’s Talking IoT APIs.
• Solar power monitoring solutions with real-time data sharing via SMS.
4. Logistics and Asset Tracking
• Real-time tracking of assets using GPS and SMS alerts.
• Smart inventory management systems for warehouses.
• Automated supply chain alerts for restocking and deliveries.

Hackathon Objectives

The Africa’s Talking Open Hackathon aims to empower developers, startups, and innovators by providing tools and platforms to create high-impact solutions. Our key objectives include:

1. Encouraging Hardware-Software Integration
• Enable developers to build solutions that seamlessly integrate hardware with digital communication platforms.
2. Enhancing Real-time Connectivity
• Leverage Africa’s Talking APIs to enhance IoT and automation solutions with SMS, USSD, Voice, and Payment APIs.
3. Driving Industry-Specific Innovations
• Address sectoral challenges in agriculture, healthcare, energy, and logistics using technology.
4. Building Scalable and Deployable Solutions
• Develop projects that can be adopted and commercialized for long-term impact.
5. Fostering Collaboration and Learning
• Bring together tech enthusiasts to collaborate, learn, and experiment with the latest hardware technologies and APIs.

What Nerds Should Expect

If you’re a developer, engineer, or hardware enthusiast, this is your chance to push the boundaries of innovation. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Hands-on API Access
• Learn how to integrate hardware with Africa’s Talking SMS, USSD, and Voice.
• Explore IoT sensor deployment, remote monitoring, and automation.
2. Access to Africa’s Talking Developer Tools
• Free access to Africa’s Talking APIs throughout the hackathon.
• Documentation, sample codes, and expert support from Africa’s Talking engineers.
3. Mentorship from Industry Experts
• Sessions with hardware engineers, IoT specialists, and API developers.
• Personalized guidance to help shape your ideas into scalable solutions.
4. A Collaborative, High-energy Environment
• Meet like-minded innovators and network with potential collaborators, investors, and mentors.
• Exchange ideas and explore future tech partnerships.
5. Competitive Prizes and Recognition
• Cash prizes, incubation opportunities, and developer credits for winning teams.
• Recognition in the Africa’s Talking developer community and beyond.
6. Real-world Problem Solving
• Work on solutions that have the potential to be implemented nationwide and across Africa.
• Collaborate with industry leaders to turn your ideas into impactful projects.

Target Nerds:

The hackathon is open to anyone passionate about hardware, software, IoT, and API integration. If you are:

• A software developer eager to explore IoT applications.
• A hardware enthusiast interested in building automated systems.
• A startup founder looking to innovate in agriculture, healthcare, energy, or logistics.
• A student or tech enthusiast willing to learn and collaborate.

Then this hackathon is for you!

• New to Africa's Talking? Get started here: 
• Developer Documentation: here (We welcome feedback)

THEME: Hardware Solution

The winning solution will receive cash prizes as follows (This can change depending on with the resources available):

• Winner - $100
• 1st Runners Up - $50
• 2nd Runners Up - $25

Africa's Talking powers communications solutions across Africa with simplified access to telco infrastructure, developers use our powerful SMS, USSD, Voice, Chat, Insights, Airtime, and Mobile Data to bring your ideas to life, as you build and sustain scalable businesses.

Agenda:

1. Warm-Up

• Introductions
• Form teams where need be.
• Feedback
• Feature requests

2. Building/hacking: Code in GitHub/GitLab/BitBucket and deploy in Docker/Automated CI/Travis CI/Bamboo

Note: This section needs additional setup.

• Upon commit, the repository is built and deployed to an accessible web server or an S3 bucket. Technology used.

3. Demonstration and Wrap-up

• Opportunities:
• Network
• Innovate
• Access to our Talent bench (You can get a job or a gig on the spot)

Submit your Idea:

• Hackathon idea submission form 

Gigs:

We would love to reach out to you so that you can build for our customers, please fill out this form with details to ensure we have your details:

• GIG/HACK DEVELOPER PORTFOLIO FORM

Join community channels:

1. Slack & WhatsApp:
• Join Africa's Talking slack community here
• Join Elarian Slack community here
2. Please follow us on Twitter handles to:

• @AfricasTalking

You can get our videos, recaps, and event interviews on our youtube channels, subscribe to get updates:

• Africa's Talking Youtube Channel
• Elarian Youtube Channel

Africa's Talking community allows developers to learn skills for the modern-day African Developer. We are language and framework agnostic. All developers are welcome. This is where Africa's Talking developers community meets to build, learn and exchange knowledge.

We are helping software developers and businesses to bring their ideas to life through easy-to-use APIs quickly.

Would you like to partner with us? Kindly contact the Developer Experience Team.