Abuja— In what is being described as a bold and strategic step towards overhauling the justice sector through homegrown technology solutions, the Federal Government has announced the launch of JusticeTechNG 2025—Nigeria’s first-ever national civic hackathon and accelerator programme focused exclusively on justice innovation.
The initiative, championed by the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Sector Reform and ICT/Digital and Innovative Technology, Mr. Fernandez Marcus-Obiene, is designed to harness the creativity and technical skills of young Nigerians to develop scalable digital tools for the justice ecosystem.
The programme kicks off with a three-day hackathon scheduled to hold from June 3 to 5, 2025.
This will be followed by a four-week accelerator phase running from June 10 to July 10, culminating in a high-profile Demo Day, where finalists will pitch their solutions to an audience comprising top government officials, members of the judiciary, tech investors, and international development partners.
Marcus-Obiene, while speaking on the vision behind the initiative, noted that the time has come to leverage local innovation to address long-standing systemic issues in the justice sector.
“JusticeTechNG is about empowering young Nigerians to build real-world solutions for everyday challenges across courts, police stations, correctional facilities, and legal aid services. Transformation will not happen unless we invest in bold ideas, talented people, and platforms that are rooted in local realities,” he said.
The initiative is being coordinated by a multi-disciplinary committee chaired by Ms. Abiola Jimoh, a seasoned technology policy professional with vast experience spanning both government and international development sectors. She stressed the long-term vision and impact of the project.
“This is much more than a hackathon. It’s a national call to action. We are building a pipeline of tech-enabled solutions that justice institutions can adopt, test, and scale for real impact,” Jimoh said.
JusticeTechNG 2025 is set to bring together cross-functional teams comprising developers, lawyers, designers, and civic tech advocates.
These teams will tackle problem areas such as access to justice, court process efficiency, digital legal education, police reporting systems, prison reintegration services, and transparency in the justice delivery process.
Participants will compete for a prize pool of up to ₦22 million, which includes seed funding, technical support, and pilot programme opportunities in collaboration with government agencies and civil society organisations.
A high-powered Advisory Board made up of senior legal practitioners, former Attorneys-General, judicial officers, digital policy experts, and tech entrepreneurs will provide strategic guidance to the programme.
Their mandate is to ensure that JusticeTechNG remains aligned with national justice reform goals while fostering credibility and institutional uptake.
Applications for the hackathon are now officially open to teams of 3 to 5 members. Interested groups must submit their entries no later than May 25, 2025.
Successful applicants will be invited to participate in the in-person hackathon event slated to take place in Lagos.
