Harare Hack for Humanity

The AI Collective Harare × Major League Hacking — Hack for Humanity 2026

Our chapter is joining Hack for Humanity, The AI Collective’s global initiative taking place in September 2026.

Hack for Humanity continues the conversations started during Humans in AI Week, where communities identified real problems affecting people locally and globally. This event moves that conversation into action by bringing people together to design, code and build practical technology and AI-enabled solutions.

The central question is simple:

What does humanity need next — and what can we build to help?

Hack for Humanity is a practical, team-based hackathon focused on using technology to create meaningful impact.

We are inviting students, working professionals, developers, researchers, designers, entrepreneurs and innovators to spend a full day building practical AI and technology solutions for real-world challenges affecting Zimbabwe and humanity at large.

Participants will work in teams to:

• Identify a meaningful real-world problem
• Define who is affected and why the problem matters
• Develop a focused solution idea
• Use coding, data, AI tools and APIs to build a working prototype
• Receive support from mentors
• Test and refine their solution
• Consider important risks, limitations and responsible AI safeguards
• Present their prototype during demos and judging

Challenge Areas

🌍 Health & Wellbeing
🌾 Agriculture, Food & Water Security
🎓 Education, Skills & Employability
💼 SMEs, Livelihoods & Economic Opportunity
🏛️ Public Services, Governance & Institutional Capacity
🌱 Climate, Energy & Community Resilience
🗣️ Culture, Language & Digital Inclusion
🛡️ AI Safety, Responsible AI & Information Integrity
🏭 Industry, Mining & Infrastructure
🧬 Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness
🐾 Animal Welfare & Sustainable Food Systems
⭐ Open Humanity Challenge — for other high-impact problems and ideas that do not fit neatly into the listed areas

These challenge areas are intentionally broad. Teams are encouraged to identify problems that are particularly relevant to Zimbabwe, while also considering challenges that affect humanity more broadly.

Event Details

📅 Saturday, 19 September 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM CAT (GMT+2)
📍 Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI). 31 Josiah Chinamano Avenue, Harare

What to Expect

You do not need to arrive with a finished solution, an existing team or even a complete idea.

Come ready to learn, collaborate, experiment, build and create impact.

The day will include:

• Registration, check-in and networking
• Problem pitches and team formation
• A rapid build kick-off session
• Structured hacking blocks
• Mentor support
• Demo-readiness checkpoints
• Project submission and technical verification
• Project demos and judging
• Awards, recognition and closing

The strongest projects may also have opportunities to be showcased within The AI Collective’s wider global community.

Registration

Spaces are limited to 60 participants and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please complete your registration early to secure your place.

We look forward to welcoming builders who are ready to use technology to solve meaningful problems in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Build what humanity needs next.