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Applicants must be aged 18–35 and from World Bank member countries.
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Solutions must address health, agriculture or tourism.
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Registration closes September 26, ahead of the October 3–4 competition.
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Three winning entries will earn a presentation opportunity in Seoul.
September 18, (THEWILL) – Young Nigerian developers can enter a World Bank Group competition seeking AI tools designed for people with basic devices and unreliable internet access.
The Small AI for Development Hackathon asks participants to build working solutions in health, agriculture or tourism. Its focus is practical usefulness under the constraints facing developing economies, according to the World Bank’s official call.
Build Around the User’s Conditions
For a prospective builder, that means considering the user’s equipment before deciding what to create. A tool that performs well on a developer’s laptop may become unusable when customers face costly data, weak signals or limited phone storage.
Applicants can enter individually or in teams of up to four. Each member must register, and submissions must be in English.
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The October 3–4 event allows online participation, according to Hack-Nation’s registration page. Registration requires host approval.
How to Apply and What Winners Receive
Applicants should select “Request to Join” on the registration page and use WBGSmallAIGADS as their referral code before September 26. They must subsequently submit a competition entry during the hackathon.
One winner from each sector will present at the Global AI and Digital Summit in Seoul. A winning team sends one representative, subject to the judging panel’s approval.
The award covers approved travel, accommodation and designated event expenses. However, the detailed terms make winners responsible for securing and paying for their visas. Possible investor meetings are subject to availability and mutual interest.
For applicants, the immediate task is to identify a specific problem and demonstrate that their solution can function in the conditions its intended users actually face.
Joy Onuorah is a business journalist and brand communications specialist covering financial markets, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and the ideas reshaping business across Africa and the global market. Beyond her reporting for TheWill, Joy uses brand strategy, storytelling, copywriting, and high-value SEO to help brands build lasting market authority.
