About the hackathon
The SWAFRI Talent Assessment Hackathon is how we discover talent in IT, marketing and sales for our talent pool. Instead of a test, you show your skills on a real project in your track.
It starts with a one-day event in Addis Ababa on 27 October, where you receive your project brief and meet the SWAFRI team. You then have seven days to build your solution remotely and submit it by 3 November.
Tracks
Choose the track that fits you when you register. Each track gets its own project brief.
IT
Build a working software solution: web, mobile, data or design, depending on your specialty.
- Frontend Development
- Backend Development
- Full Stack Development
- Mobile Development
- UI/UX Design
- Data Science / AI
- DevOps & Cloud
- QA & Testing
Marketing
Create a marketing campaign for a real product: strategy, visuals, video and online channels.
- Graphics Designer
- Motion Designer
- SEO Specialist
- Digital Marketing
Sales
Plan how to win customers for a real product: target market, pitch and sales approach.
Expected outcomes
By the submission deadline, every participant should deliver:
- A complete solution to the project brief for your track, which you receive on the kickoff day
- IT: your source code in a repository (for example on GitHub) with a short README
- Marketing: your campaign work (strategy, designs, videos or SEO plan) as files, links or a presentation
- Sales: your sales plan as a presentation or document
- A short explanation of your approach and the decisions you made
Timeline
Sat, 10 Oct 2026
Registration opens
Sign up on this page.
Sun, 25 Oct 2026
Registration closes
Last day to register. Confirmed participants receive an email with the venue and schedule.
Tue, 27 Oct 2026
Kickoff day in Addis Ababa
A one-day in-person event: meet the SWAFRI team, receive your project brief and start building.
Wed, 28 Oct 2026
Seven days of remote building
Work on your project from wherever you are, at your own pace.
Tue, 3 Nov 2026
Submission deadline
Submit your project. Our team then reviews every submission.
What you get
- Top performers join the SWAFRI talent pool and are matched with client projects
- Hands-on experience with a real project brief, judged on your actual work rather than a test
Who can join
- Able to attend the kickoff day in Addis Ababa on 27 October
- Available to work on the project remotely for the following seven days
Register for this hackathon
Registration closes on 25 Oct 2026. It only takes a couple of minutes.
