Africa Ignite Hackathon

Sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driven by increasing mobile penetration and advanced connectivity across 4G and emerging 5G networks. However, innovation at scale continues to face a twofold challenge:

• The need for advanced, reliable connectivity to accelerate digital solutions
• Limited ability for developers to programmatically access and leverage telecom network capabilities

To bridge this gap, the telecom ecosystem is evolving towards greater openness through initiatives like Open Gateway and CAMARA APIs, enabling developers to interact directly with network intelligence without requiring deep telecom expertise.

This hackathon invites participants to:

Build API-driven solutions leveraging programmable network capabilities to address real-world challenges across sectors such as fintech, health, agriculture, and urban infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Participants are expected to develop solutions that:

• Leverage Advanced Connectivity & Network Intelligence - Utilize telecom capabilities exposed via Open Gateway / CAMARA APIs (e.g., SIM swap detection, number verification, device status), which function across both 4G and 5G networks.
• Embrace Openness & Accessibility - Build solutions that demonstrate how developers—without being telecom experts—can seamlessly integrate and innovate using programmable network APIs.
• Address Pressing Local Challenges - Solve critical socio-economic and infrastructure issues relevant to the Sub-Saharan African context.
• Ensure Scalability & Real-World Impact - Design solutions that can scale across regions and deliver sustainable, measurable impact.

Tech Stack (Mandatory)

Technical Requirements & API Stack

Core Requirement:

All hackathon solutions must integrate at least one Nokia-hosted CAMARA API via the Network as Code Developer Portal.

• Using multiple CAMARA APIs will earn additional points
• Combining APIs across different categories/use cases will earn extra points
• All submissions must include a working codebase (GitHub/GitLab link mandatory)
• Solutions must be original, and code will be validated by subject matter experts (SMEs)
• Mandatory APIs to Consider

Participants are encouraged to build solutions using the following high-priority CAMARA APIs:

• SIM Swap
• Device Swap
• KYC Match
• Extended CAMARA API Stack

Participants can further enhance their solutions by leveraging additional APIs such as:

• QoS on Demand
• Device Status
• Location Verification
• Location Retrieval
• Geofencing
• Device/Application Attachment
• Network Slicing
• Congestion Insights
• Number Verification
• Bonus Innovation Layer

To stand out, teams are encouraged to incorporate:

Agentic AI / GenAI capabilities (e.g., intelligent automation, decisioning, predictive insights)

Tasks

The tasks can be divided into: 

• Mandatory
  • Utilize 1 CAMARA API available within Network-as-Code platform
  • Demonstrate a clear use-case that solves or improves a real-world problem
• Good-to-have tasks
  • Utilize more than 1 CAMARA API available in Nokia Network-as-Code
  • Create an application that works on an advanced connectivity device
• Bonus tasks
  • Bonus points for agentic AI concepts that leverage and orchestrate multiple APIs to create smarter, automated workflows or decision-making journeys.

Restrictions

• The submission must use 1 or more network API available on Nokia Network-as-Code platform
• The submission must use original code. You can also build to enhance an existing submission of yours.
• Submissions must use one of the theme categories