By Oluyinka Onigbinde
In a bold move to position Africa at the forefront of digital commerce and cross-border innovation, ExportPlug has emerged overall winner at the grand finale of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol Hackathon, claiming the ₦20 million grand prize. The event, hosted by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office during the Science of Trade Conference 2025, brought together 60 visionary teams to pitch solutions that address critical trade and integration challenges across the continent.
ExportPlug was lauded for creating a robust export-enablement platform designed to revolutionize cross-border trade by connecting African producers to new markets using smart algorithms and competitive pricing strategies. Judges, however, advised the team to pay closer attention to maintaining competitive pricing to ensure long-term viability in Africa’s diverse trade landscape.
GET AI, which built a regulatory sandbox solution for e-commerce transactions, was awarded the ₦10 million Innovation Prize by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Judges praised its intelligent automation capabilities but urged the team to firmly agree on the core of their solution to enable effective development and scalability.
SyncAll, which prioritizes the preservation of African culture in tech deployment received special recognition as the Most Innovative Team. Judges described their product as practical and scalable, with strong potential for preserving cultural identity while enhancing digital inclusion across Africa.
Beyond the top three winners, several teams received constructive critiques from the panel of judges, who pushed for clarity, practicality, and implementation-readiness:Tandela Afrik Trust and Aphrika Trade Link were commended for identifying real trade issues, but judges emphasized that “we already know the problems — now we want to see the solutions.”
Afri-Tap was encouraged to move beyond conceptual explanation, with judges insisting: “Don’t just tell us the idea — show us how it works.”
ID-FIT, which is developing an Intra-African Passport in partnership with AfCFTA, was urged to factor in a multimodal transport system, as judges noted that a single mode of transportation cannot serve the scale of trade envisioned under AfCFTA.
Other presenting startups included Afiari, Kuraway, Tralog App, Microvarsity, Afriflow, FeedbackAgrichub, Qiqi Farm, Ojah, and others — all demonstrating commitment to transforming Africa’s trade ecosystem through digital innovation.
Speaking during the final, Mr. Olusegun Olutayo senior trade expert/ Lead Nigeria AfCFTA coordination office announced that Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office will induct all 60 participating teams as Founding Members of the newly launched Nigeria AfCFTA Startup Academy.
He said all the 60 participants will have exclusive access to funding opportunities, tailored programmatic support and training, technology credits to fuel development and cross-border linkages with other AfCFTA coordination offices
“We are not just selecting winners, we are building the future of intra-African trade. This Hackathon has proven that Africa’s brightest ideas are ready for the global stage.” Olutayo stated.
