The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Meta, and Rise Networks have joined forces with other technology and civil society partners to launch the #AI4Elections Hackathon, a national initiative aimed at harnessing artificial intelligence to strengthen electoral integrity and democratic participation.
The initiative seeks to bring together Nigerian developers, researchers, students, technology entrepreneurs, electoral experts, and civic innovators to design and develop practical, AI-powered solutions to emerging electoral challenges.
These include misinformation, cybersecurity threats, electoral data analysis, inclusive civic engagement, and citizen accountability.
Building on the experience of Run-Am, an AI-powered misinformation detection and fact-checking mobile application developed for Nigeria’s 2023 elections, Rise Networks is spearheading the programme in collaboration with INEC, Meta, Google, Microsoft, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), and other institutional partners.
The hackathon, according to Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji of Rise Network, will focus on five key areas, including trustworthy electoral information, data-driven decision-making, inclusive and multilingual civic technology, electoral cybersecurity, and election observation.
Participants are expected to develop functional technological solutions that can contribute to credible, transparent, inclusive, and people-centred electoral processes.
She said with a total cash prize pool of N10 million, alongside cloud credits, laptops, and other technology tools, the competition is open to eligible Nigerians aged 18 and above, participating individually or in teams of up to four members.
Applications opened on Thursday October 22, 2026, and close on November 12, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. West African Time. The programme will culminate in a national innovation showcase in Lagos on December 16, 2026, followed by technical support for promising solutions.
Organisers emphasised that the initiative is nonpartisan and prioritises responsible AI, data privacy, human oversight, and compliance with electoral laws.
Interested applicants can visit ai4elections.risenetworks.org for details and application guidelines.