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EthiopiaKenyaNigeriaSouth AfricaZimbabwe Short Course Partial Funding

SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026: Innovating for Safe Spaces

SafeTech Africa HackLab 2026 offers seed grants of USD 5,000-10,000 to four young African innovators aged 18-35 with solutions addressing child marriage, FGM, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Applications close 18 October 2026.

October 7, 2026 ⏰ Deadline: Oct 18, 2026

Quick Overview

Host CountryEthiopia (launch), Africa-wide implementation
Degree LevelShort Course
Funding TypePartial Funding
Fields of StudyDigital Technology, Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Human Rights, Public Health, Social Innovation
DeadlineOctober 18, 2026

Scholarship Overview

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Overview

The SafeTech Africa HackLab ’26 is a youth social innovation challenge launched by UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Region, UNFPA Western and Central Africa Region, and partners including the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP 2.0), the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, the African Union Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, UNDP, UNICEF, and UN Women. The challenge was officially launched at the African Union Innovation Festival ’26 (AU InnoFest ’26) in Addis Ababa under the theme “Vibrant Youth Ecosystems for AI & Digital Sovereignty.”

The HackLab identifies, incubates, funds, and scales youth-led digital and community solutions addressing harmful practices across Africa. It follows a strategy of Decentralised Power and Systemic Shifting, equipping local youth leadership to challenge entrenched power imbalances directly.

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What Winners Receive

Four winners will receive comprehensive support including:

  • Seed Capital Grant: USD 5,000 to USD 10,000 per winner
  • High-Level Pitching Stage: Shortlisted finalists receive pitch coaching and present live at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026
  • Market Access & Investor Matchmaking: Direct exposure to investors, venture funds, and continental development partners
  • Continental Visibility: Spotlight feature across UNFPA, Spotlight Initiative, and African Union media channels
  • Virtual Mentorship: Shortlisted innovators receive mentorship using the UNFPA Social Innovation Toolkit

Three Challenge Themes

Theme 1: Safe Physical & Community Spaces

Focuses on innovative protection and prevention of harmful practices including child marriage, FGM, and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF-VAWG). Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over 50 million child brides, with 1 in 3 young women married before age 18. The Western and Central African Region hosts 7 out of 10 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage.

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Eligible innovations include mobile-based early-warning systems, incentive-based digital platforms tracking school retention, interactive digital storytelling platforms, and youth-led safe-space networks.

Theme 2: Safe Informational Spaces

Addresses dissemination of accurate digital comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information. The adolescent birth rate stands at 93 per 1,000, and 6 in 7 new adolescent HIV infections are girls.

Eligible innovations include confidential youth-friendly chatbots, accessible digital learning hubs for out-of-school adolescents, and peer-to-peer encrypted SRHR platforms.

Theme 3: Safe Digital Spaces

Targets countering anti-rights narratives that normalize child marriage, censorship, and TF-VAWG. Between 16% and 64% of young women experience technology-facilitated violence.

Eligible innovations include safety-by-design tools, algorithmic auditing tools, privacy-preserving AI solutions monitoring online harassment, and decentralized publishing tools for human rights advocates facing censorship.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Age: 18–35 years old
  • Residency: Young African innovators from UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Region and Western and Central Africa Region countries
  • Leadership: Youth-led solutions with young people, especially young women, leading design, execution, and enterprise ownership
  • Innovation Type: Original, practical, youth-led innovations using digital, mobile, or civic technology
  • Ethics Compliance: Must align with UNFPA ethical tech guidelines for GBV, UN principles on ethical AI use, and safeguarding standards

For Zimbabwe and SADC applicants: Zimbabwe falls under UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Region coverage. The regional adolescent birth rate and IPV data (24% of women experienced IPV in 2018) contextualize the relevance of applications from this area.

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted online by 18 October 2026 (23:59 CAT). Required content includes:

  • Team Lead & Member details: Ages, gender composition, nationalities, contact information, and roles
  • Theme Selection: Select one of three themes
  • Problem Statement (max 200 words): Description of affected community, location, challenges faced, significance, and cost of inaction
  • Innovation Description (max 700 words): Product/platform functionality, technology used, user benefits, scalability, and 12-month implementation roadmap with outputs and milestones
  • Digital Safety & Inclusion Note: Safeguarding measures, data privacy protocols, and accessibility considerations

Scoring Criteria (100 Points Total)

  • Problem-Solution Fit: Relevance to GBV, child marriage, FGM, or countering anti-rights/TF-VAWG
  • Innovation & Originality: Creative, novel approaches targeting identified community problems
  • Feasibility & Viability: Realistic 12-month implementation roadmap with clear outputs and milestones
  • Inclusivity & Disability Accessibility: Measures ensuring no one is left behind, including offline, low-data, low-digital-literacy communities and people with disabilities
  • Youth Leadership: Young people leading solution design, execution, and ownership
  • Scalability & Impact Potential: Clear pathway from pilot to regional level with measurable metrics
  • Safety, Privacy & Ethics: Compliance with ethical AI, user data privacy, safeguarding, and mitigation of digital pushback/censorship

Selection Timeline

  • Applications Open: 29 September 2026 (launched at AU InnoFest ’26)
  • Applications Close: 18 October 2026 (23:59 CAT)
  • Midway Milestone: Shortlisted finalists attend virtual showcase of their innovation
  • Final Pitch Event: YouthConnekt Africa Summit, November 2026

Contact Information

Focal Contacts:

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

Key Resources

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Official scholarship page: https://www.spotlightinitiative.org/latest/events/safetech-africa-hacklab-innovating-safe-spaces-call-applications

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Funding Coverage

Seed grants of USD 5,000-10,000 per winner (4 winners total); virtual mentorship; pitch coaching; investor matchmaking; continental media visibility

Eligibility Criteria

Young African innovators aged 18-35 from UNFPA Eastern and Southern Africa Region and Western and Central Africa Region countries; youth-led solutions with young women in leadership roles; innovations addressing child marriage, FGM, or TF-VAWG

Required Documents

Team details (ages, gender, nationalities, roles); theme selection; 200-word problem statement; 700-word innovation description with 12-month roadmap; digital safety and inclusion note

Application Process

1) Review eligibility and themes. 2) Prepare required documents including team information, problem statement, and innovation description. 3) Submit application via official online portal by 18 October 2026, 23:59 CAT. 4) Shortlisted finalists attend virtual showcase. 5) Finalists receive pitch coaching and present at YouthConnekt Africa Summit November 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions

No application fee is mentioned in the official call. The application process is free of charge.
The call accepts entries from young innovators and teams. Team composition details including roles are required in the application, suggesting both individual and team applications are accepted, though collaborative approaches are encouraged.
The deadline is strict at 23:59 CAT on 18 October 2026. Late applications are not accepted. The application window runs from 29 September to 18 October 2026.
No in-person travel is required for the application or initial stages. Shortlisted finalists participate in a virtual showcase. Only finalists pitch live at the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in November 2026; travel arrangements for this event are not specified in the published materials.
Eligible solutions include mobile apps, SMS/USSD systems, chatbots, digital storytelling platforms, AI tools, browser extensions, encrypted platforms, and other civic technologies. Solutions must address child marriage, FGM, or technology-facilitated violence against women and girls within one of three themes: Safe Physical & Community Spaces, Safe Informational Spaces, or Safe Digital Spaces.
Selection is based on a 100-point scoring criteria covering problem-solution fit, innovation, feasibility, inclusivity, youth leadership, scalability, and ethics. Only four winners receive seed grants. Success depends on alignment with priority themes, demonstrated youth leadership, clear implementation roadmap, and strong ethical safeguards. Past UNFPA innovation challenges typically attract hundreds of applications across the two regions.

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