The African Space Agency and Agence Spatiale de Côte d’Ivoire (ASCI), in collaboration with CURAT at Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, have organised the first edition of the SpatiELLES Hackathon as part of the African Space Exposition (ASPEX) 2026.
The all-women space hackathon was created to showcase African female talent in space science and technology. It brought together young women developing innovative solutions to address development challenges across the continent.
Hedia Chakroun, Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at ENIT, University of Tunis El Manar, Founder of AGEOS NGO and a researcher in geospatial technologies, served as Chair of the Jury for the SpatiELLES Hackathon.
The competition showcased the creativity and determination of young women working on solutions in space science and technology, with their projects demonstrating the potential of the next generation of African space leaders.
Teams from Tunisia, South Africa and Tanzania emerged as the top three performers in the inaugural edition of the hackathon. Tunisia won the 1st Prize, while South Africa placed 2nd and Tanzania came 3rd.
Chakroun also contributed to the Africa GNSS-Lab Working Group, where she collaborated with Ms. Aicha Aliou of SatNav Africa JPO, Mr Adama KANE, Dr. FATMA TRABELSI BOUCHENDIRA, as well as partners from Yoonir Smart Solution and Université Iba Der THIAM de Thiès.
The SpatiELLES Hackathon is part of broader efforts to promote women’s participation in Africa’s space science and technology ecosystem and create opportunities for emerging female talent to contribute to solutions addressing the continent’s development challenges.
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