The AR/VR Africa Metathon is a series of programmes and activations under the Meta global XR fund aimed at supporting African XR talents to build innovative solutions that demonstrate various use cases of the metaverse in Africa.

The AR/VR Metathon will feature three major components including a training program, an Africa-wide hackathon, which will take place  across 16 countries in Africa physically and open to everyone virtually, followed by an intensive bootcamp to further develop solutions. These components will run from Mid-August – April 2023. 

According to Phil Oduor, Policy Programs Lead for Africa at Meta, “The AR/VR Africa Metathon is an opportunity to demonstrate how artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies that have been around for decades, are core to the future of the metaverse and what Africans are building in the industry.” 

Oduor further adds, “The XR Programs and Research Fund is a two-year $50 million investment into programs and external research focused on building the metaverse responsibly. Through this fund, we are collaborating with industry partners, civil rights groups, governments, nonprofits and academic institutions to determine how to build these technologies responsibly. This is why we have partnered with Imisi 3D and BlackRhino VR, an extended reality ecosystem developer  and a virtual reality production company, who represent Africa’s creative and innovative landscape, to launch this program to support African XR talent who are building innovative solutions that demonstrate the various aspects of the metaverse in Africa.”

Judith Okonkwo, Founder Imisi 3D & AR/VR Africa said, “Six years after our first hackathon, and following subsequent events in over 28 countries across the continent, we are especially thrilled to be partnering with Meta and BlackRhino VR for the 2022 edition. This year’s AR/VR Africa Metathon brings together our AR/VR Africa pre-hackathon training, hackathon, and bootcamp in one programme. 

Working with partners in 16 countries, it is our biggest and most ambitious event yet  providing even greater access for XR. In addition to physical events in these countries, we welcome participants across the continent who will be able to learn and hack virtually. At this time of intense global interest in the Metaverse, our mission remains the same – increasing access to XR resources on the continent, accelerating XR talent, showcasing African XR solutions and creating pathways for careers and industry.”

“We are honored and elated to have partnered with Meta and Imis 3D on this promising project. The Metathon will encourage exploration and discovery among young African creative technologists who will have the opportunity to develop Afrocentric XR use cases that will tackle some of the unique challenges they are facing in our continent. This type of collaboration is what Africa needs to highlight the potential of new and untapped socioeconomic opportunities created by XR Technologies,” commented Brian Afande, Co-founder and Managing Director, BlackRhino VR.

How to apply

All developers, programmers, UI/UX designers, artists, animators, storytellers, professionals and students interested in participating in the 12 weeks training can register for the opportunity to share their innovative work in AR/VR.

Afrilearn and eight other startups worldwide developing digital solutions to improve access to digital services will receive equity-free investments in USD and/or cryptocurrency through the UNICEF Venture Fund and UNICEF CryptoFund and a year-long mentorship with UNICEF’s technical and programme experts and partners.

Nigeria currently has over 200 million population base. Of this number, 80 million (40%) can’t read or write. 120 million (60%) can’t engage beyond religion and metaphysics. 170 million (85%) can’t build or create anything meaningful.

Founded by Isaac Oladipupo and Gabriel Olatunji-Legend in 2019 to solve this problem, Afrilearn integrates genius tutors, animators, and developers to provide affordable, world-class education for young Nigerians and Africans anywhere. The Chief Growth Officer, ‘Lamide Johnson, while commenting on this said “our work at AfriLearn remains pivotal to innovation in the educational sector in Africa. We are happy to be recognised by UNICEF, and we remain committed to empowering high school students to access global learning that gives them a advantage in their respective careers”.

Widely described as the Netflix of Education for young Africans, Afrilearn offers richly animated and curriculum-relevant video lessons, class notes, practice tests, live classes, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower high/secondary school students (Ages 6-18) to study at their unique pace in and outside the classroom via Web, App, and data-free Dongle subscription services.

With this timely investment and backing from UNICEF, Afrilearn is expected to develop a world-class artificial intelligence-powered personalized recommendation model to make learning fun and immersive for young Africans, across its mobile app and web platforms.

According to UNICEF, five of nine startups in this round of investments are female-founded/co-founded, bringing the Fund’s overall female-led/founded portfolio composition to 43%. The cohort also expands the Fund’s geographic reach to Indonesia and the UAE.

Launched in 2016, The UNICEF Innovation Fund has made investments in 126 frontier technology solutions, in 68 countries, that have the potential to create a positive change for humanity.

It is also part of the success story of various successful African and global tech innovations like Imisi 3D, MomConnect, Innovation Lab China, Yuudee App and many more.