SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026: Apply Youth Innovation Challenge to Win US$5,000–US$10,000 in Seed Fundin

Introduction

Young African innovators, social entrepreneurs, technology developers, and digital rights advocates have an opportunity to develop innovative solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges affecting women, girls, adolescents, and other marginalized communities across the continent. The SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026: Innovating for Safe Spaces, Digital Sovereignty and Rights is a youth-focused social innovation challenge designed to support practical, youth-led solutions that promote safety, protect human rights, and create more inclusive digital and community environments.

The initiative seeks original ideas that tackle technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), restricted access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information, online harassment, and digital censorship. Through this challenge, young innovators are encouraged to use technology, community engagement, and social entrepreneurship to address these issues and create sustainable change.

Four winning innovators or teams will receive seed grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000 per winner. Shortlisted finalists will also have opportunities to receive virtual mentorship, strengthen their innovation and pitching skills, and present their solutions at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026.

Applications opened on 29 September 2026, following the official launch at the African Union Innovation Festival 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Interested applicants must submit their applications by 18 October 2026 at 23:59 Central Africa Time (CAT).

About the SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026

The SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026 is a Youth Social Innovation Challenge focused on developing practical solutions to problems affecting the safety, rights, and well-being of young people, especially adolescent girls and young women.

The challenge is organized through a partnership involving the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), including its Eastern and Southern Africa and Western and Central Africa regions, alongside the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP 2.0), the Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM), the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate and its Innovation Lab, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF, and UN Women.

These organizations are working together to identify, support, fund, and help scale youth-led digital and community innovations that respond to harmful practices, gender inequalities, and emerging digital threats.

The initiative was officially launched during the African Union Innovation Festival 2026, also known as AU InnoFest ’26, in Addis Ababa. The festival’s theme, “Vibrant Youth Ecosystems for AI & Digital Sovereignty,” reflects the growing importance of enabling young people to participate in shaping technological development, digital governance, and inclusive innovation across Africa.

SafeTech Africa HackLab builds on this approach by placing young people at the center of designing and implementing solutions to problems within their own communities.

Rather than focusing only on technology development, the challenge encourages innovators to consider how their solutions can protect vulnerable people, challenge harmful social norms, improve access to reliable information, and promote digital environments that respect privacy, dignity, and human rights.

Why the SafeTech Africa HackLab Matters

Africa has a large and growing youth population, yet many young people continue to face barriers to safety, education, health information, digital participation, and equal opportunities.

The challenge document highlights several concerns that demonstrate the need for locally developed and youth-led innovations:

• Child marriage continues to affect millions of girls across the continent.
• Female genital mutilation remains a serious concern in affected communities.
• Technology-facilitated violence threatens the safety and participation of women and girls online.
• Gender disparities in internet access prevent many women from benefiting fully from digital opportunities.
• Limited access to accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health information can undermine informed decision-making.
• Online censorship, anti-rights narratives, harassment, and misinformation can restrict the ability of young people and human rights advocates to participate safely in digital spaces.

The opportunity recognizes that these problems cannot always be addressed through conventional approaches alone. Innovative digital tools, accessible information systems, community referral networks, youth-led awareness initiatives, and privacy-preserving technologies can complement existing prevention and protection efforts.

By encouraging solutions developed with the participation of affected communities, the HackLab aims to help young innovators address the underlying causes of harm while building solutions that can grow beyond an initial pilot project.

Objectives of the SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026

The challenge has several interconnected objectives.

1. Promote youth-led social innovation

The initiative seeks to empower young Africans to design, develop, and implement solutions that respond directly to challenges in their communities. Young people are expected to play meaningful roles in identifying problems, developing ideas, implementing solutions, and taking ownership of their innovations.

2. Prevent technology-facilitated violence

The HackLab encourages the development of tools and platforms that help prevent, identify, report, and respond to violence enabled or amplified by digital technologies. These solutions may support safer online participation, improve reporting mechanisms, and strengthen protection for women and girls.

3. Address child marriage and female genital mutilation

Innovators are encouraged to create solutions that support prevention, community awareness, early identification of risks, and connections to protection services. Technology can help strengthen local responses while supporting education and community engagement.

4. Improve access to accurate health information

The challenge supports digital approaches that provide young people with reliable, confidential, accessible, and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health and rights information.

5. Protect digital rights and online participation

The initiative seeks solutions that counter harmful online narratives, improve digital safety, protect privacy, and support individuals and communities facing online harassment or censorship.

6. Support scalable and sustainable innovations

Beyond developing an idea or prototype, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how their solutions can be implemented, evaluated, improved, and expanded to reach more people over time.

The Three Priority Challenge Themes

Applicants must select one of the three priority themes when submitting their applications. Each theme focuses on a distinct but related dimension of safety, rights, and digital inclusion.

Theme 1: Safe Physical and Community Spaces

Focus: Innovative protection and prevention of harmful practices, including child marriage, female genital mutilation, and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

This theme focuses on improving physical and community safety, particularly for adolescent girls, young women, and other people at risk of harmful practices or gender-based violence.

Child marriage, female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, and other forms of gender-based violence can have lasting consequences for the health, education, independence, and well-being of affected individuals.

The challenge document highlights the continuing scale of child marriage and gender-based violence across Sub-Saharan Africa and other affected regions. It also emphasizes the role of discriminatory social norms, poverty, and gaps in the enforcement of protective laws in perpetuating harmful practices.

Applicants choosing this theme should propose innovations that use digital technology, mobile communications, civic technology, or community-based systems to improve protection and prevention.

Potential solutions could include:

• Mobile-based early-warning and referral systems: SMS, USSD, or mobile applications that enable at-risk girls to access emergency responders, safe shelters, legal aid, and health services.
• Digital platforms supporting school retention: Tools that help communities identify risks associated with child marriage and encourage continued participation in education.
• Legal education technology: Digital resources that improve awareness of protective laws, rights, and available support services.
• Interactive digital storytelling: Platforms that encourage discussion about harmful practices and engage men, boys, traditional leaders, and religious leaders in prevention efforts.
• Youth-led safe-space networks: Community initiatives that identify girls at risk and connect them with education, protection, and legal services.
• Community referral systems: Digital or technology-supported mechanisms that improve coordination among local organizations, service providers, and people seeking assistance.

A strong proposal should explain the specific community problem being addressed, identify the intended beneficiaries, and demonstrate how the proposed innovation could improve prevention, access to protection, or referrals to essential services.

Applicants should also consider confidentiality, safeguarding, accessibility, and the possible risks faced by individuals who use their solutions.

Theme 2: Safe Informational Spaces

Focus: Disseminating accurate digital comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information.

The second theme seeks innovations that improve young people’s access to reliable, age-appropriate health education and confidential sexual and reproductive health information.

The challenge document identifies restricted access to accurate information and confidential services as concerns that can contribute to poor health outcomes and limit young people’s ability to make informed decisions.

This theme therefore encourages innovators to develop secure, accessible, and youth-friendly digital environments where users can obtain reliable information, ask questions, learn about their rights, and access appropriate referrals.

Proposed innovations should help address misinformation, harmful cultural and social beliefs, and barriers that prevent young people from accessing relevant information.

Examples of eligible innovation approaches include:

• Confidential youth-friendly chatbots: Automated tools that provide accurate, non-judgmental information about comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health.
• Messaging bots and USSD services: Low-data solutions that enable young people to access information through basic mobile phones or messaging platforms.
• Interactive digital learning hubs: Online educational resources that make health information easier to understand and navigate.
• E-learning applications: Learning platforms tailored to out-of-school adolescents, rural young people, and people with disabilities.
• Peer-to-peer digital safe spaces: Platforms that allow young people to share knowledge, discuss concerns, and learn from one another in safer environments.
• Secure service-booking and referral tools: Digital systems that support confidential connections to appropriate services and information about available health commodities.

Applicants working under this theme should explain how their solution will ensure that information is accurate, accessible, confidential, and appropriate for its intended audience.

Innovations should also consider the needs of young people with limited internet access, low digital literacy, disabilities, or concerns about privacy when seeking sensitive information.

Theme 3: Safe Digital Spaces

Focus: Countering anti-rights narratives, online censorship, and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

The third theme addresses the growing need to make online environments safer, more inclusive, and more respectful of human rights.

Technology-facilitated violence can include online harassment, abuse, intimidation, and other harmful conduct enabled by digital platforms. Meanwhile, disinformation and the suppression of legitimate sexual and reproductive health and rights content can limit access to information and restrict the participation of human rights advocates and creators.

The challenge seeks innovations that strengthen digital safety, help users identify and respond to harmful online activity, counter anti-rights disinformation, and protect people facing digital censorship.

Applicants are encouraged to consider solutions that give users greater control over their digital experiences and support privacy-preserving, community-driven approaches to online safety.

Possible innovation ideas include:

• Safety-by-design tools: Digital products designed from the outset to reduce opportunities for abuse and protect users.
• Browser extensions: Tools that help users identify, manage, or reduce exposure to harmful online content and risks.
• Encrypted reporting systems: Secure mechanisms for reporting harassment, threats, and other forms of technology-facilitated violence.
• Digital self-defence platforms: Resources that teach users how to protect accounts, secure personal information, and respond to online threats.
• Algorithmic auditing tools: Technologies that help investigate digital systems and identify patterns associated with harmful or discriminatory outcomes.
• Counter-narrative toolkits: Digital resources that help communities respond to anti-rights disinformation with accurate information.
• Media literacy applications: Tools that improve users’ ability to recognize misleading content and understand online manipulation.
• Privacy-preserving artificial intelligence solutions: Approaches for identifying or mitigating online harassment and the spread of deepfakes while protecting users’ data.
• Decentralized publishing tools: Digital platforms that help human rights advocates and creators communicate and share information when facing unfair moderation or censorship.
• Community-based online protection networks: Systems that encourage collective responses, bystander intervention, and peer-to-peer accountability.

Applicants should demonstrate how their ideas would protect users, reduce digital harm, and preserve privacy and access to information. They should also explain how the solution would account for the particular risks faced by marginalized groups, including rural youth, people with disabilities, and feminist creators.

What Kind of Innovations Is the HackLab Looking For?

The SafeTech Africa HackLab is seeking original, practical, youth-led innovations that directly address the problems identified under its three challenge themes.

Applicants should develop proposals around a clearly defined problem rather than submitting a general idea that has no specific connection to the challenge.

A competitive application should explain:

1. The problem: What harmful practice, safety concern, information gap, or digital rights issue needs to be addressed?
2. The affected community: Who experiences the problem, and where does it occur?
3. The proposed innovation: What product, service, platform, process, or community-based system will address the problem?
4. How the solution works: What technology or implementation approach will be used?
5. The expected benefits: How will the proposed innovation improve safety, access to information, protection, inclusion, or digital rights?
6. Implementation feasibility: Can the solution realistically be developed or implemented within a 12-month roadmap?
7. Scalability: How could the innovation reach additional users, communities, or regions?
8. Ethical safeguards: How will the team protect user privacy, ensure safety, and minimize the risk of harm?

The challenge encourages practical solutions that respond to real needs. Applicants should therefore make their proposals specific, understandable, and grounded in the circumstances of their intended beneficiaries.

Benefits of the SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026

Selected innovators and teams can benefit from funding, mentorship, pitching opportunities, visibility, and connections to potential partners.

1. Seed grants of US$5,000–US$10,000

Four winners will receive seed grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000 per winner.

This funding can provide important support for developing, testing, or implementing an innovative solution. Depending on the project’s needs and the applicable funding arrangements, seed capital may help teams advance product development, conduct pilot activities, improve their technology, engage intended beneficiaries, or strengthen implementation capacity.

Applicants should clearly demonstrate how their innovation could use the proposed support to produce meaningful and measurable results.

The published challenge information does not specify the exact grant amount that each winner will receive or provide a detailed breakdown of eligible expenditure. Applicants should consult the official application information for any additional funding conditions.

2. Virtual mentorship

Shortlisted innovators and teams will receive virtual mentorship using the UNFPA Social Innovation Toolkit.

This support is intended to help participants strengthen their solutions and prepare for subsequent stages of the challenge.

Mentorship can be particularly valuable for teams seeking to refine their understanding of the problem, improve the design of their innovation, clarify their implementation approach, and communicate their ideas more effectively.

3. Pitch coaching and a final presentation opportunity

Shortlisted finalists will receive pitch coaching and present their innovations at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026.

This stage offers an opportunity to explain the problem their solution addresses, demonstrate its practical value, communicate its implementation strategy, and present its potential impact to an audience that includes relevant stakeholders.

The pitch stage can also help innovators develop professional presentation skills and communicate their ideas more convincingly.

4. Market access and investor matchmaking

The challenge identifies direct exposure to investors, venture funds, and continental development partners attending the YouthConnekt Africa Summit as a benefit for winners and runners-up entering the post-hackathon support programme.

Such exposure may help innovators explore potential partnerships, learn about routes to market, identify organizations interested in their work, and investigate opportunities to expand their solutions.

Participation does not guarantee an investment or commercial partnership, but it creates opportunities to engage with relevant stakeholders.

5. Continental visibility

Winning teams can receive visibility through media channels associated with UNFPA, the Spotlight Initiative, and the African Union, as well as other channels during the YouthConnekt Africa Summit.

This visibility may help innovators communicate their work to a broader audience, raise awareness of the issues their solutions address, and strengthen recognition of their projects.

6. Opportunities to develop scalable solutions

The HackLab emphasizes the potential to move from an initial pilot community to broader regional implementation.

Participants are therefore encouraged to develop solutions that can be evaluated, improved, adapted to different settings, and expanded to reach more beneficiaries.

A clearly designed implementation roadmap, realistic milestones, and measurable impact indicators can help demonstrate this potential.

How Applicants Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be assessed against a set of scoring criteria worth a total of 100 points.

The published challenge information identifies seven assessment areas. It does not specify the individual point allocation for each criterion, so applicants should not assume that all criteria carry equal weight.

1. Problem-solution fit

Reviewers will consider how closely the proposed innovation aligns with the HackLab’s priority challenges, including gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and efforts to counter anti-rights narratives and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

Applicants should establish a direct connection between the problem they identify and the solution they propose.

2. Innovation and originality

The proposed idea should be creative, distinctive, and clearly targeted at the identified problem or the needs of the intended beneficiaries.

Applicants should explain what makes their solution innovative and how it responds to the problem in a practical way.

3. Feasibility and viability

Teams should present a realistic 12-month implementation roadmap, including expected outputs and milestones.

The proposal should demonstrate that the innovation can be implemented within the proposed timeframe and that the team has considered the resources, activities, and practical requirements necessary to make progress.

4. Inclusivity and disability accessibility

The challenge emphasizes the principle that no one should be left behind.

Applicants should demonstrate how their solutions will accommodate people with disabilities, communities with limited internet access, users with low digital literacy, and populations experiencing intermittent connectivity.

This may involve low-data applications, SMS or USSD services, accessible interfaces, alternative communication methods, or other appropriate design choices.

5. Youth leadership

Young people should play a meaningful leadership role in the design, implementation, and ownership of the proposed solution.

The scoring criteria particularly emphasize leadership by young women.

Applicants should therefore clearly describe the responsibilities of team members and explain how young people will influence the innovation’s development and execution.

6. Scalability and impact potential

Reviewers will consider whether the innovation has a credible pathway to expand from an initial pilot community to a wider regional level.

Applicants should identify the outcomes they expect to achieve and explain how they will measure progress.

Where appropriate, proposals should include practical indicators that demonstrate whether the solution is reaching its intended beneficiaries and producing meaningful change.

7. Safety, privacy, and ethics

Proposals must take account of user safety, privacy, safeguarding, ethical artificial intelligence, and the potential for digital pushback or censorship.

These considerations are especially important when solutions involve sensitive personal information, survivors of violence, children or adolescents, health information, or people at risk of retaliation.

Applicants should explain how their innovation will handle personal data responsibly, protect users from foreseeable risks, and avoid exposing vulnerable individuals to additional harm.

The application material also points applicants toward relevant resources, including UNFPA’s guidance on safe and ethical technology for addressing gender-based violence, its technology-facilitated gender-based violence safety checklist, and the United Nations system’s principles for the ethical use of artificial intelligence.

How to Apply for the SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026

Applications must be submitted online through the official application portal. The deadline is 18 October 2026 at 23:59 CAT.

Applicants should prepare their information carefully before submitting the form to ensure that the proposed innovation is clearly explained and that all required sections are completed.

APPLY HERE 

Step 1: Identify the problem your innovation will address

Begin by selecting a specific issue affecting a clearly defined population or community.

Your problem statement should explain who is affected, where the problem occurs, the challenges people face, why the issue matters, and what could happen if no action is taken.

Avoid overly broad statements that do not identify a practical problem or intended beneficiary.

Step 2: Select one challenge theme

Choose one of the three priority themes:

• Safe Physical and Community Spaces.
• Safe Informational Spaces.
• Safe Digital Spaces.

Select the theme that most closely matches your proposed innovation. The application requirements state that applicants should select one theme.

Step 3: Provide team information

The application requires details about the team lead and team members, including:

• Ages.
• Gender composition.
• Nationalities.
• Contact information.
• Individual roles and responsibilities.

Ensure that the information accurately represents the people involved in the project and clearly communicates who is responsible for leading and implementing the innovation.

Step 4: Write the problem statement

The problem statement must be no more than 200 words.

It should clearly describe:

• The affected people or community.
• The location of the affected population.
• The problem or challenges experienced.
• Why the problem matters.
• The likely cost or consequences of inaction.

A strong problem statement is specific, concise, and grounded in the needs of the intended beneficiaries.

Step 5: Describe the innovation

The innovation description must be no more than 700 words.

Explain how the proposed product, platform, service, or other solution works. Identify the technology or methods involved, the benefits to users, and the potential for scaling the innovation.

The description should enable reviewers to understand what the innovation does, how it addresses the identified problem, and why it is suitable for the intended community.

Step 6: Develop a 12-month implementation roadmap

Applicants must provide a roadmap covering a 12-month implementation period.

The roadmap should outline the major activities, expected outputs, milestones, and anticipated progress.

For example, an applicant might organize the roadmap around research and community engagement, development or improvement of the solution, pilot implementation, evaluation, and subsequent refinement. This is an illustrative planning approach rather than a prescribed sequence from the organizers.

The final roadmap should reflect the actual needs and implementation requirements of the proposed innovation.

Step 7: Prepare a digital safety and inclusion note

Applicants must explain how their innovation will address digital safety, safeguarding, data privacy, and accessibility.

Consider the risks that may arise when people use the proposed solution and describe the measures that will help protect them.

Applicants should also explain how the innovation will accommodate people with disabilities and users who have limited internet connectivity, low digital literacy, or other barriers to participation.

Step 8: Review and submit the application

Submit the completed application through the official online portal before the deadline.

Before submitting, check that the selected theme is appropriate, the word limits have been respected, the innovation is clearly described, and the implementation roadmap and safety measures are included.

Applicants should use the official application page linked in the original call for applications to access the submission form and any additional instructions.

Application Deadline and Important Dates

Applicants should pay close attention to the following dates:

• 29 September 2026: Applications opened following the launch at AU InnoFest ’26.
• 18 October 2026, at 23:59 CAT: Final application deadline.
• November 2026: Shortlisted finalists are expected to present their innovations at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit.

The published call does not provide a complete date-by-date selection timetable in the available material. Applicants should therefore consult the official announcement for any further information about shortlisting, mentorship sessions, finalist notifications, and award arrangements.

Since the deadline is approaching, interested innovators should begin preparing their submissions immediately rather than waiting until the final day.

Visit HERE for more information about SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026

Contact Information for Applicants

The call for applications lists the following focal contacts for enquiries:

• Esther Tshimanga: etshimanga@gmail.com
• Sinothando Manala: manala@unfpa.org
• Bernadette Ssebadduka: ssebadduka@unfpa.org
• Nicolette Moodie: moodie@unfpa.org

Applicants who need clarification about the application process, required information, or the challenge should use the contact details provided in the official announcement.

Important Considerations Before Applying

Before preparing a proposal, applicants should keep the following considerations in mind.

Choose a clearly defined challenge. A solution should respond directly to one of the three priority themes and address a specific problem faced by an identifiable population.

Demonstrate youth leadership. Explain how young people, particularly young women where relevant, will lead the design, implementation, and ownership of the innovation.

Prioritize the needs of affected communities. The proposed solution should be practical and developed with a clear understanding of the people expected to benefit.

Make the innovation accessible. Consider users who have disabilities, limited internet access, low digital literacy, or other barriers that might prevent them from using the solution.

Protect privacy and safety. Digital solutions dealing with violence, health information, or vulnerable populations should include appropriate safeguards and responsible data practices.

Present a realistic implementation plan. A credible 12-month roadmap with measurable outputs and milestones will help demonstrate feasibility.

Explain how the solution could grow. Describe how the innovation could be improved, replicated, or expanded beyond its initial community.

Follow the official instructions. Confirm all application requirements, eligibility provisions, and submission arrangements through the official application portal.

Conclusion

The SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026 offers young African innovators an opportunity to turn practical ideas into solutions addressing safety, human rights, gender equality, and digital inclusion. Through its three priority themes, the challenge supports innovations that protect communities from harmful practices, improve access to accurate health information, and create safer digital environments.

Four winners will receive seed grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000 each, while shortlisted finalists can benefit from virtual mentorship, pitch coaching, and opportunities to present their work at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026. Participants may also gain exposure to investors, development partners, and media platforms associated with the participating organizations.

For innovators working on child marriage prevention, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence, digital safety, health information, or digital rights, the challenge provides a platform to develop and advance solutions with potential for wider impact.

Interested applicants should select the most relevant challenge theme, prepare a clear innovation proposal, develop a realistic 12-month implementation roadmap, and address safety, privacy, and inclusion from the outset.

Application deadline: 18 October 2026 at 23:59 CAT. Submit your application through the official SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026 application portal referenced in the call for applications.

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