Circular Economy

Hackathon

ALU presents the Circular Economy Hackathon - World Circular Economy Forum 2022 Side Event

We are proud to announce that the African Leadership University is participating in the World Circular Economy Forum 2022 (WCEF2022) to showcase the innovative, problem solving nature and entrepreneurial spirit of young Africans through the Circular Economy (CE) Hackathon.

Background

The African continent has the youngest population in the world and this is an enormous resource in building a future with new perspectives. Innovation is common among the youth, and it is important to create an enabling environment that allows youth to create innovative and sustainable business solutions, while also generating green jobs.


To achieve this, traditional teaching methods and academic knowledge must make room for the education of entrepreneurial thinking, technical and leadership skills. The African Leadership University is doing this by organizing a Circular Economy Hackathon to provide young people in Rwanda an opportunity to critically engage with social challenges and suggest solutions based on the principles of circularity.

About the Event

The Circular Economy Hackathon is a 3-day event hosted at the African Leadership University campus in Kigali, Rwanda from December 03-05, 2022. This event provides participants* a platform to network with other young professionals and circular economy experts to find solutions to problems presented during the event, and capitalize on opportunities that can be created using the circular economy. The problem statements will be based on themes identified in African Circular Economy Alliance’s 5 big bets for Africa’s path to circularity, and the priority areas identified by the Ministry of Environment, Rwanda.

Day 1

On Day 1 (December 03, 2022), teams will be presented with different problem statements, and they will select any one problem to work on, thus kicking off the CE Hackathon. The teams are expected to analyze the problem, defining and clarifying it through research and contextualization.

Day 2

Day 2 (December 04, 2022) of the CE Hackathon will be remote, however, teams can meet up in-person to start formulating their suggested solutions and prepare the final presentations. 

Day 3

Day 3 (December 05, 2022) is the last day of the CE Hackathon and reserved for the closing ceremony which includes final presentations, assessment and announcement of the winners.

The assessment criteria includes scalability of the solution, social impact on the local communities and critical thinking, amongst other assessment points. 

Winners will receive cash prizes and an invitation to pitch their venture in front of the WCEF2022 plenary which consists of global leaders from the private and public sectors, investors and international organizations working towards a circular future.

*Participants must be between the ages of 18 – 31, and physically present in Kigali, Rwanda during the CE Hackathon

Important Dates

The registration for the Hackathon will open on October 11, 2022 and close on November 13, 2022 at 11:59 AM, Central African Time.

The selected teams will receive an acceptance email by November 18, 2022.

The Hackathon will take place on DECEMBER 03, 04 and 05, 2022 at the African Leadership University campus in Kigali, Rwanda.

Date Description
11 OCTOBER 2022
Registrations Open
13 NOVEMBER 2022
Registrations Close @ 11:59 AM CAT
18 NOVEMBER 2022
Selected Teams Announced
03 DECEMBER 2022
Day 1 of the Hackathon @ALU Campus [Kigali, Rwanda]
04 DECEMBER 2022
Day 2 of the Hackathon [Remote]
05 DECEMBER 2022
Day 3 of the Hackathon @ALU Campus [Kigali, Rwanda]
07 DECEMBER 2022
Winners Pitch @ World Circular Economy Forum 2022 [Kigali, Rwanda]

Eligibility Criteria

We encourage you to send your application as soon as possible to speed up the announcement process.

How to Apply

You will be required to register as a team of minimum 2 and maximum 4 people, and bring your entire team to participate in the hackathon.

Please identify a team leader and register your team (the team leader has to register on behalf of the team) via this Registration Google Form with all details as requested, and submit the form BEFORE the deadline. Please ensure there is only one registration per team

All participants will be required to share their emails, and you are required to keep yourself updated on all emails issued to you.

Collaborators

Over the past year, ALU’s Circular Economy Programme has collaborated with leading institutions on the circular economy, such as the MAVA Foundation, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Bestseller Foundation, Impact Hub, Finnish Innovation Fund-Sitra and the African Circular Economy Alliance. 

We are engaging these partners to support the event and will share more information in the coming weeks.

Support/Contact

If you have any questions or face any challenges while applying, please send us a detailed email on circulareconomy@alueducation.com with your query.

FAQs

No, each team must consist of members exclusively part of their team.

Each team must consist of at least 2 members and a maximum of 4 members.

Entries can not be modified once submitted. Please be sure to double-check all details before submitting.