ATF Developer Lab: Hackathon in partnership with Andela & Github
Build with AI. Compete for R250,000. Get seen by global companies.
ATF Developer Lab is two days of hands-on learning and building at Africa Tech Festival, run with Andela and GitHub. Day 1 is the hackathon: learn GitHub Copilot in the morning, build in the afternoon, and compete for R250,000 in cash prizes. Day 2 is about levelling up, with sessions from Andela and the winners announced.
Places are capped at 90 developers. Every approved developer gets a free pass to Africa Tech Festival.
Register below.
This is a two-day commitment.
You need to be with us for both days: 10:30–16:30 on Tuesday 17 November for the hackathon, and 14:30–17:00 on Wednesday 18 November for the Day 2 sessions and the winners announcement. Your team is counting on you, so only register if you can make both.
The Prize:
R250,000 in cash prizes
Winners announced on Wednesday 18 November at 16:45
Coming solo or as a team? Both work.
Teams are 3 to 5 people.
Coming on your own? Most people will be. Register as an individual. On the day, you'll meet other developers over lunch (12:00–13:00) and form a team there. Our team will help match anyone who's still looking. Everyone is in a team before the challenge starts at 13:00.
Already got a team? Each person registers separately on this page and enters the same team name. Everyone in the team needs to be approved, so sign up together.
Day 1: Tuesday 17 November – Learn and build
10:30 Check-in and setup
11:00 GitHub Copilot workshop: real-world development with the Copilot app
12:00 Lunch and team formation
13:00 Kickoff: the challenge, rules and judging criteria
13:20 Build time. Mentors on the floor, GitHub's "Ask an Expert" table open throughout
15:00 Midpoint check-in and snacks, plus 15 minutes on the Andela Talent Network: how to get your work in front of global companies
16:30 Submissions close
Day 2: Wednesday 18 November – Level up
14:30 Token optimisation: a practical session from Andela on getting more out of AI models for less
15:30 Emerging skills: a talk and fireside chat on the skills African tech teams will need next
16:30 Happy Hour on the Connections Terrace
17:00 Winners announced, prizes and group photo
17:15 Closing remarks
Who it's for:
Developers, engineers and builders at any level who want to sharpen their AI-assisted coding, meet other developers and connect with Andela and GitHub.
What to bring:
Your laptop and charger. We'll provide Wi-Fi, Copilot access, lunch, snacks and coffee.
FAQs
Is it free? Yes. Approved developers also get a free pass to Africa Tech Festival.
Do I need to know GitHub Copilot? No. The morning workshop gets you up to speed.
Can I just come to the workshop? No. The Developer Lab runs as one cohort, so we need you for the full day.
What if I don't have a team? That's fine. Register solo and you'll find a team at lunch.