AI agents are the next big platform shift — and the quality of those agents depends on the skills behind them.

This hackathon challenges developers, builders, and AI enthusiasts to design and build powerful, production-ready skills for AI agents built for the African context. From API integrations and automation workflows to communication tools and real-world actions, participants will explore how to make AI agents more useful, reliable, and intelligent using 2G technologies such as SMS, Voice, USSD, Airtime. 

How should agents interact with external systems?

How do you design safe and reusable skills?

How do you avoid hallucinations, poor execution, and AI-generated chaos?

Over the course of the day, teams will prototype and build AI agent skills that solve real-world problems using modern AI tooling and APIs such as SMS, Voice, Payments, and more.

Date: Saturday, 23rd, May 2026

Time: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Venue: Africa's Talking Offices, The Acacia Place, 4th Floor, John Babiha (Acacia) Ave, Kampala

Agenda:

9:00 AM – Arrival, Registration & Team Formation

10:00 AM – Opening Remarks + Hackathon Brief

10:30 AM – Session: “Best Practices for Building Skills for AI Agents for 2G Technologies”

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Hacking Session

4:00 PM – Project Demos & Presentations

5:30 PM – Judging & Awards

6:00 PM – Networking, Snacks, and Drinks

Hackathon Challenge Areas:

Participants can build around themes such as:

🧠 AI agent skills for automation and workflows

💬 Communication skills using SMS or Voice APIs

📞 Voice-based AI assistants

🌍 Local-language AI experiences

Who Should Attend:

This event is open to software developers, AI engineers, product builders, startup founders, students, and anyone curious about agentic AI systems.

Whether you're experienced with LLMs or just starting your AI journey, this hackathon is designed to help you learn by building.

Attendance is free, but registration is required to secure your spot.

Join Our Community Channels:

Twitter:

@AfricasTalking

@ATCommunityKla

YouTube:

Watch event recaps, demos, and developer conversations on the Africa’s Talking YouTube Channel

Africa’s Talking Community hackathons are where developers come to experiment, collaborate, and build the future.

This time, we’re exploring a big question:

👉🏾 How do we build AI agents that are actually useful, reliable, and safe in the African context?