The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and a consortium of globally reputed companies have just launched a ₦10 million artificial intelligence (AI) hackathon ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections
It is doing so in collaboration with Rise Networks, Meta, Google and Microsoft with the overall winner set to receive ₦4 million, the runner-up ₦2.5 million and the third-place winner ₦1.5 million.
The #AI4Elections Hackathon 2026–2027 will also offer four special prizes of ₦500,000 each for innovations in research and policy, electoral and civic inclusion, responsible AI and safety, and cybersecurity and resilience.
Applications which opened on October 22, will close on November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. West African Time, according to a statement by the organisers.
The programme, which runs from October 2026 to February 2027, will include a national finale and innovation showcase in Lagos on December 16, 2026, followed by technical support for promising projects.
Organised by Rise Networks with support from the MacArthur Foundation and Luminate, the initiative seeks to mobilise Nigerian technology talent to develop practical AI solutions that can strengthen electoral integrity, improve access to reliable information and promote public confidence in democratic institutions.
The programme comes amid growing concerns about the influence of AI on information production and digital communication, particularly the spread of misinformation, AI-generated images and videos, privacy risks, cybersecurity threats and the potential manipulation of electoral information.
It also builds on Rise Networks’ Run-Am, an AI-powered misinformation detection and fact-checking application developed for Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
Founder of Rise Networks, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said the initiative was designed to encourage responsible technological innovation that protects the integrity of the electoral process rather than introduce technology without adequate consideration of its risks.
“Our ambition is not to introduce technology for technology’s sake. We are committed to promoting responsible AI innovation that respects the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process, protects citizens’ rights, and prioritises transparency, privacy, and human oversight. Innovation must strengthen our democracy, not create new vulnerabilities for it,” she said.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said Nigeria needed to prepare for the growing role of technology in elections by developing solutions that address the country’s electoral realities.
“We must begin to harness the power of artificial intelligence to strengthen electoral integrity, expand access to information, and build greater public confidence in our democratic institutions. The #AI4Elections Hackathon is an opportunity to bring our brightest minds together to develop solutions that respond to the realities of our electoral process,” she added.
The initiative will focus on five principal areas: AI and Trustworthy Electoral Information; Electoral Data Analysis, Operational Insights and Decision Support; Inclusive and Multilingual Electoral and Civic Technology; Electoral Cybersecurity and Resilience; and Election Observation and Citizen Accountability.
Climate resilience and environmental innovation will also be considered as a cross-cutting theme.
Participants are expected to develop technically credible solutions, including software applications, prototypes, AI tools and models, data-analysis systems, accessible civic technology, multilingual interfaces and open-source components.
Beyond the competition, the statement said the programme will operate through three connected components: the hackathon, an Elections Development Hub and an Electoral Community of Practice.
The hackathon will provide a platform for participants to design, develop and demonstrate their solutions. The Development Hub will support further testing and refinement of promising projects, while the Community of Practice will connect participants, mentors and institutions to sustain learning and collaboration beyond the competition.
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