Build With Paga
The official Tech Ignite ’26 Shipathon. This November, builders from all over Akwa Ibom State are shipping practical solutions to real-world problems — powered by the Paga Engine API.
Shipathon Stats
- ₦1 Million
- Total prize pool, equity-free
- 3–5
- Builders per team
- 2 Weeks
- To ship a working prototype
This November, we are inviting builders from all over Akwa Ibom State to participate in the official Tech Ignite ’26 Build with Paga Shipathon — a high-impact innovation challenge designed to empower the brightest builders to create practical solutions to real-world problems. The goal is a working prototype with a credible path to becoming a real product, not a weekend demo.
Who Can Participate?
Open to All Builders, From Every Background.
This hackathon is open to all individuals and teams from various backgrounds, including developers, designers, tech enthusiasts, students, etc in Akwa Ibom State.
- Developers
- Tech Enthusiasts
- Students
- Individuals & Teams
Timeline
Six Dates. One Working Product.
Monday, 2nd of October
Hackathon announcement
Saturday, 7th of November
Registration ends
Sunday, 8th of November
Introduction call
18th of November
Building ends
19th of November
Screening day
20th of November
Final Demo Day & prize giving
The Challenge
Solve an African Problem. Ship it with Paga.
Build an application that solves an African problem, powered by the Paga Engine API. That’s it. We are making the challenge open, because great ideas can come from every industry.
Over two weeks, participants will work in teams of 3–5, receive mentorship from experienced industry experts, attend practical workshops, and refine their ideas into market-ready products.
The program culminates in a Demo Day, where finalists pitch their solutions before a panel of judges, investors, ecosystem leaders, and potential partners for a chance to win prizes, funding opportunities, and industry recognition.
Judging Criteria
Every Build Is Scored Out of 100 Points.
- Technical Quality
30 pts
Assesses code correctness, memory safety, efficiency, and maintainability.
- Innovation
20 pts
Rewards novelty of approach, originality, and creative problem-solving.
- Impact & Relevance
20 pts
Measures the solution’s usefulness and applicability to African and global challenges.
- Usability & Design
20 pts
Evaluates user experience, documentation quality, and accessibility.
- Presentation
10 pts
Judges the clarity of the demonstration, technical explanation, and overall delivery.
Confirmed Judges
The Panel Ready to Ship the Verdict.
- 01Virtual
Tayo Oviosu
CEO of Paga
- 02In person
Announcing soon
Paga Engine Engineer
- 03In person
Femi Aluko
CEO/Co-founder of Chowdeck
- 04In person
Saviour Inyang
Product Designer at Cowrywise
- 05In person
Announcing soon
To be announced
- 06In person
Announcing soon
To be announced
The Prizes
Ship It. Take Home ₦500,000 and More.
- 1st Place
₦500,000
Cash prize, merch boxes, plus the chance to intern with Paga.
- 2nd Runner-up
₦300,000
Cash prize and merch boxes for the second runner-up.
- 3rd Runner-up
₦200,000
Cash prize and merch boxes for the third runner-up.
A Note on AI
AI is Encouraged, Not Required.
Participants are encouraged, but not required, to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into their projects — assistants, workflow automations, developer tools, support agents, and more. The goal isn’t simply to use AI, but to build products that are useful, practical, and well-designed.
That said, AI slop is greatly frowned upon.