Empowering a Digital Generation: EAC, Germany launch second edition of AI Challenge with $50,000 prize pool
The second edition of Artificial Intelligence’s challenge introduces several key enhancements designed to deepen the programme’s impact, including Ebola Response Challenge.
TUESDAY AUGUST 11, 2026
By Patty Magubira
The Tranquillity News Reporter, Tanzania
The East African Community (EAC) and the Germany government have officially launched the second edition of the Artificial Intelligence Challenge dubbed AI4EAC.
Unveiled following a high-level AI Roundtable at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, the expanded initiative aims at reaching 20,000 East Africans across all partner states through targeted digital skilling and practical innovation.
Building on the momentum of its inaugural run, the flagship programme is backed by U.S.$50,000 in prize funding to support winning teams that build cutting-edge, AI-powered solutions tailored to regional obstacles.
The launch comes at a critical juncture for the continent’s technology landscape.
Highlighting the disparities in digital infrastructure during the opening remarks, Joachim Schmitt, Head of Division East and Central Africa with Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), pointed to the urgent need for a unified regional strategy.
“Since 2019, Africa has attracted $1.25 billion in AI investment, but 80 per cent has gone to just four countries,” noted Schmitt, adding:
“Africa also has less than one per cent of the world’s data-centre capacity while it is home to 18 per cent of the world’s population.
“Through the EAC AI Alliance, Germany is supporting a regional approach that builds practical AI skills, applied research, and AI policy shaped by the needs of the people of East Africa.”
Echoing this sentiment, Aguer Ariik Malueth, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors, emphasised that the initiative represents a vital investment in the region’s human capital.
Speaking on behalf of the EAC Secretary General, he stated:
“Our priority is to ensure East Africans have the skills, knowledge, and partnerships to harness AI to create jobs, improve public services, and develop solutions to our region’s challenges.”
The second edition of AI4EAC introduces several key enhancements designed to deepen the programme’s impact, including Ebola Response Challenge.
This is a dedicated new track inviting students, researchers, and innovators to create AI models that bolster disease outbreak detection, preparedness, and public health resilience.
Also introduced is an Expanded Financial Track. Supported by newly welcomed strategic partner Equity Group Holdings, this track encourages inclusive technological advancements within East Africa’s financial sector.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has also joined as a strategic partner, leading to the introduction of Institutional Growth track.
This track aims at enhancing capabilities in AI research and digital capacity-building alongside private sector heavyweights like Bayer, Cassava Technologies, and Zindi.
Since 2019, Africa has attracted $1.25 billion in AI investment, but 80 per cent has gone to just four countries,” Joachim Schmitt, Head of Division East and Central Africa with Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Discussing the financial sector collaboration, Ms. Winnie Mangeni, Equity Group’s Director of Innovation and Technology, stressed the importance of real-world application.
“We want participants to work on real-world challenges, benefit from the experience, and develop solutions that can progress beyond the competition,” she said.
The renewed push follows a highly successful inaugural AI4EAC Innovation Challenge held in 2025.
Delivered by Zindi in partnership with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), EASTECO, GIZ, UNESCO Campus Africa, and JICA, the maiden challenge mobilised 3,891 participants from 57 universities.
The representation spanned all eight EAC partner states, namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Through six months of comprehensive courses, webinars, and hands-on training, participants tackled core regional hurdles in health, agriculture, finance, and education, with top performers securing prestigious internships.
Commissioned by Germany’s BMZ and implemented by GIZ in close coordination with EASTECO and IUCEA, the EAC AI Alliance continues laying the groundwork for a future-ready East Africa.
Beyond the competition itself, the Alliance’s broader mission focuses on modernising university teaching and research, closing regional digital skills gaps, and establishing a harmonised, gender-responsive regional AI policy framework across all participating nations.
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The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
