The Federal Government has opened applications for the Connect NextGen Innovation Hackathon, in partnership with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), to upskill Nigerian youths in modern technologies. Participation in the hackathon is completely free for selected startups.
The Connect NextGen Hackathon is a national innovation initiative designed to identify, support, and scale early-stage technology startups building solutions to address Africa’s most pressing challenges. Through an intensive hackathon and acceleration programme, selected startups will receive mentorship, exposure, and access to strategic partners, helping them transform ideas into sustainable, impact-driven ventures.
The programme aims to help participants turn innovative ideas into practical solutions, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the digital economy, technology integration, and education. It combines hands-on mentoring, an eight-week acceleration phase, and practical learning across priority technologies.
The hackathon is designed to spotlight key domains of innovation and problem-solving, including telecommunications, with solutions that improve connectivity, network performance, and digital access; FinTech, featuring digital tools that enhance payments, banking, and financial inclusion; HealthTech, focused on improving healthcare access, delivery, and outcomes; AgriTech, promoting innovations that boost farming productivity and food systems; EdTech, offering digital solutions that improve learning and skills development; the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling smart, data-driven systems through connected devices; CleanTech, advancing clean energy and environmental protection; AI/ML, which supports intelligent systems that automate tasks and drive better decisions; and sustainability, which encourages solutions that support long-term social, economic, and environmental impact.
Selected startups will benefit from an eight-week intensive acceleration programme, technical and business mentorship from industry experts, access to funding opportunities and investor networks, visibility through media, partners, and ecosystem platforms, networking opportunities with government, corporate, and ecosystem stakeholders, and the opportunity to pitch live at the Hackathon Demo Day.
To be eligible for the programme, startups must operate in Nigeria, possess a minimum viable product (MVP), demonstrate measurable traction or pilot usage, and maintain a gender-inclusive team composition. The hackathon is open to innovators across Nigeria, including university students, startups, and emerging young talent.
Registrations are open nationwide from February 11, 2026, to March 10, 2026. To apply, interested applicants should submit their applications via the official portal at https://ericssonhackathon.techrevolutionafrica.org/application/.
