On April 29, 2025, The Hashgraph Association (THA) and Exponential Science officially announced the winners of the 2025 Hedera Africa Hackathon, concluding what organizers described as the largest Web3 hackathon to date. The competition drew over 45,000 participants and 13,000 developers across 20 African hubs and online platforms, resulting in more than 1,300 project submissions.
Grand Prize Winner and Innovation Highlights
All projects leveraged Hedera’s distributed ledger technology to tackle infrastructure challenges in emerging markets. The $1 million prize pool was distributed across four thematic tracks: on-chain finance and real-world assets; distributed ledger technology (DLT) for operations; immersive experiences; and AI and decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN).
Greenafrica, a Nigeria-based environmental verification platform, claimed the top “cross-track champion” prize of $100,000. The platform enables transparent tracking of sustainability initiatives. “The Hedera Africa Hackathon reached historic heights, scaling the depths of talent and ambition across the continent and beyond,” said Kamal Youssefi, president of The Hashgraph Association. “Hedera has a longstanding commitment to enabling global innovation and powering real utility.”
Other Winners and Trends
Egypt’s Carboni Renewable Energy Certificate Platform took second place overall, while Mexico’s Effisend X Africa, an AI-powered payment routing system, ranked third. Organizers noted a shift toward pragmatic infrastructure, including cross-network payment systems and secure medical record management.
Investment Committee and Future Plans
Coinciding with the awards, THA announced the formation of a new investment committee. The body is designed to provide multi-million-dollar commitments to strategic partnerships, offering capital and mentorship to developers in emerging markets. “Any strong, innovative and responsible technical ecosystem begins with education,” said Paolo Tasca, executive chairman at Exponential Science. “We have seen that approach materialize at scale, with participants advancing from learning to the development of meaningful infrastructure.”
The hackathon was co-funded by THA and Exponential Science in partnership with Orange Digital Center and operated by Dar Blockchain. Supporting partners included Sygnum Bank and the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The event is confirmed to return in 2026, with location and track details to be announced later.