Building Africa's next generation of AI-powered banking.
A six-month incubation pathway from Afriland First Bank and the First AI Institute to take AI solutions from a validated idea to live deployment inside a working bank.
Executive foreword
Africa stands at a defining moment where our ingenuity, entrepreneurial spirit and technological ambition can reshape the future of banking through artificial intelligence.
The First AI Institute Innovation Programme is more than an innovation challenge. It is our commitment to building an ecosystem where African researchers, entrepreneurs and AI professionals collaborate to solve real business problems and create globally competitive solutions — technologically excellent, commercially viable, socially responsible.
Built in Africa, Felt Everywhere.
Who is behind this
Afriland First Bank
Cameroon's leading commercial bank and one of Central Africa's most innovative financial institutions, managing assets exceeding CFA 2,550 billion. Under its Horizon 2030 strategy, the bank is becoming a technology-first institution.
First AI Institute
A specialist institution for applied artificial intelligence, frontier research and commercial innovation. First AI Institute cultivates world-class talent, produces original research, and commercialises the results.
- Mission — To empower the next generation of African technology leaders by building a premier AI ecosystem that bridges frontier research with practical, commercially viable solutions for the world.
- Vision — The globally recognised, premier institution for applied AI talent and research in Africa — a self-sustaining innovation engine producing world-class talent and world-changing solutions.
- Purpose — Connect research, entrepreneurship and industry to solve Africa's greatest challenges.
Why this, why now
African Banks Leveraging AI to Improve,
Decision-Making
- 1Sharpen risk management
- 2Widen inclusion
AI insights contribute to
- Intelligent credit decisions
- Alternative credit scoring
- Predictive risk analytics
Trust-Building
- 3Keep pace with regulation
- 4Cut operating costs
AI aids in
- Fraud detection
- Regulatory compliance
- Automated operations
Widening Reach
- 5Improve customer experience
- 6Reach underserved customers
AI facilitates
- Customer personalisation
- Agricultural finance
- Digital financial inclusion
The programme
Not a hackathon, but an innovation accelerator.
The First AI Institute Innovation Programme is Afriland First Bank's flagship accelerator for identifying, incubating and commercialising AI innovations for the financial sector. A hackathon ends with a demo. This ends with a live deployment of fully developed solutions.
Selected innovators move through a structured pathway requiring idea validation, prototype development, pilot preparation, and commercial deployment. The innovators will access technical mentoring, banking immersion, executive coaching, venture development and a secure Banking Innovation Sandbox.
Who should apply
Whether you hold an early-stage idea or a working prototype, the programme is built to move you forward. No existing company is required.
Challenge areas
Where we need bold ideas, innovation & solutions.
Submit a proposal addressing one or more of these themes. Proposals that cut across several themes are welcome since real banking problems rarely sit in one box.
What's in it for you
The full stack of support.
Participation is fully sponsored. There is no fee, and no equity is taken as a condition of entry.
Banking Innovation Sandbox
- Secure cloud development environment
- Banking APIs
- Anonymised banking datasets
- AI development infrastructure
- Testing environments and technical support
World-class mentorship
- Senior Afriland executives
- Banking product owners
- AI engineers and cloud specialists
- Venture builders and FinTech founders
- Academic researchers
Technical development
- AI engineering and MLOps
- Product design, UX and UI
- Cybersecurity
- Responsible AI
- Regulatory compliance
Commercialisation
- Pilot opportunities within Afriland
- Executive sponsorship
- Investment readiness coaching
- Cloud credits and licensing discussions
- Partnership and market access support
Inside the programme
What incubation looks like.
From the first application to Demo Day: the people, workspaces and ideas shaping each cohort.
Six-month journey
From idea to live deployment.
Six phases, each with its own deliverable and milestone review. Throughout, participants hold a dedicated workspace, an individual mentor, weekly technical office hours, sandbox access, executive "Ask Me Anything" sessions and Demo Day coaching.
Evaluation framework
How applications are scored.
An independent Selection Committee scores every application against seven weighted criteria. The bar below is drawn to the actual weights.
Selection process
Cohort 1 timeline
Key dates.
All times are West Africa Time (WAT). Dates for future cohorts are published here as each call opens.
Founder outcomes
From cohort to live deployment.
The programme is measured by what happens after Demo Day. As ventures complete each cohort, their stories are published here: the problem they took on, and where the solution went next.
In their words
Participant voices.
Short films from innovators reflecting on their experience, mentorship and progress through the programme.
Programme highlights
Moments from the journey.
Moments from across the programme journey, from workshops and build sprints to mentoring and Demo Day.
Programme partners
Knowledge hub
Learn before you apply.
Research, briefings and recordings from the First AI Institute.
FAQs
Before you start.
On intellectual property
Innovation depends on trust. Background IP stays with the innovator. Programme-generated IP is managed under transparent governance agreed before incubation begins. All participants sign participation, confidentiality and IP agreements at onboarding.
Applications
Ready to build Africa's next AI success story?
Complete the application below in six short steps. Your progress is saved on this device as you go, so you can return and finish later. Whether you are developing a breakthrough model, reimagining customer banking, or solving a critical operational problem, the First AI Institute offers the platform, the expertise and the partnerships to turn it into a working solution.