2027: Rise Networks, INEC, Meta, Google, Microsoft join forces to launch #AI4Elections Hackathon

Rise Networks, in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Meta, Google, Microsoft and other partners, has launched the #AI4Elections Hackathon to develop artificial intelligence solutions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The national, multidisciplinary and nonpartisan initiative will bring together technology developers, researchers, university students, electoral experts, civil society organisations and innovators to develop practical AI-powered tools addressing challenges associated with elections.

Other partners include the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), NITHUB at the University of Lagos, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), CLEEN Foundation, Tap Initiative for Citizens’ Development, International Press Centre, Legal Naija, Ahmadu Bello University and the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

The programme is supported by the MacArthur Foundation and Luminate and builds on Rise Networks’ experience developing Run-Am, an AI-powered misinformation detection and fact-checking mobile application used during the 2023 Nigerian elections.

Applications opened on Thursday, October 22, 2026, and will close on November 12 at 11:59 p.m. West African Time. The programme will run from October 2026 to February 2027, with a national grand finale and innovation showcase scheduled for December 16 in Lagos.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the founder of Rise Networks, Dr Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said the initiative was designed to promote responsible AI innovation that protects electoral integrity and citizens’ rights.

“Our ambition is not to introduce technology for technology’s sake. We are committed to promoting responsible AI innovation that respects the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process, protects citizens’ rights, and prioritises transparency, privacy, and human oversight,” she said.

“Innovation must strengthen our democracy, not create new vulnerabilities for it.”

Akerele-Ogunsiji said Nigeria needed to harness emerging technologies to improve access to reliable information and strengthen public confidence in democratic institutions.

“We must begin to harness the power of artificial intelligence to strengthen electoral integrity, expand access to information, and build greater public confidence in our democratic institutions,” she said.

“The #AI4Elections Hackathon is an opportunity to bring our brightest minds together to develop solutions that respond to the realities of our electoral process.”

The competition will focus on five principal areas: trustworthy electoral information; electoral data analysis, operational insights and decision support; inclusive and multilingual electoral and civic technology; electoral cybersecurity and resilience; and election observation and citizen accountability.

Climate resilience and environmental innovation will also be considered as an optional cross-cutting area.

Participants are expected to develop working solutions, including AI-enabled applications, software prototypes, data-analysis tools, multilingual interfaces and other technically credible products. Idea-only submissions, presentations and mock-ups without functional solutions will not be accepted.

The hackathon is open to Nigerians aged 18 and above, including developers, AI engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, researchers, civic-tech innovators, electoral experts, product designers and public policy practitioners.

Applications may be submitted by individuals or teams of up to four members, with team-matching support available for individual applicants. Entries must be submitted in English, and projects that have already received grants, awards or recognition in previous competitions are ineligible.

Speaking at the event, Dr Lawrence Bayode said the growing influence of AI on elections made it necessary for Nigeria to develop solutions that preserve electoral credibility.

“The question before us is no longer whether AI has a role to play in an election, but how we can harness its potential without compromising the integrity, transparency and credibility of the electoral process,” he said.

Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, said the company would work with INEC to promote reliable election information and tackle false claims, including fake images and videos generated with AI.

She highlighted Meta’s “Remove, Reduce and Inform” approach and GovGuide Nigeria, an AI-powered chatbot that provides government information in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Dada stressed that AI tools used during elections must remain politically neutral and operate under human oversight, adding that Nigeria’s experience could offer lessons for other countries.

“The 2027 elections matter far beyond Nigeria’s borders. If Nigeria gets it right on trustworthy information, the continent will learn from it and, indeed, the world,” she said.

Other speakers, including Lagos Business School Dean, Prof. Olayinka David-West, and legal practitioner Tsema Ede, said AI could improve election results management but emphasised the need for transparency and public trust.

The hackathon has a total cash prize pool of ₦10 million. The overall winner will receive ₦4 million, while the second- and third-place winners will receive ₦2.5 million and ₦1.5 million, respectively.

Four additional special innovation awards, each worth ₦500,000, will recognise outstanding work in research and policy innovation, electoral and civic inclusion, responsible AI and safety, and cybersecurity and resilience.

Entries will be assessed based on technical functionality and innovation, relevance to electoral challenges, practical usefulness, cybersecurity, privacy, responsible AI, scalability, feasibility, demonstration and documentation.

Rise Networks said the programme would also include an AI4Elections Development Hub to support the testing and refinement of promising solutions, alongside a Community of Practice to sustain collaboration among innovators, researchers, mentors and electoral stakeholders beyond the competition.

The organisers stressed that the initiative would not support partisan campaign technology, voter manipulation or interference with electoral administration. Participants are also prohibited from conducting unauthorised tests of live electoral systems or accessing institutional infrastructure.

Winning the competition will not automatically authorise the deployment of any solution in an election, as future institutional pilots will remain subject to relevant legal, technical, institutional and security approvals.

Interested applicants can obtain further information and apply through ai4elections.risenetworks.org.