Accra, Ghana – April 2025
The future of Africa’s legal innovation has never looked brighter.
The inaugural Africa Legaltech Hackathon, a collaboration between Legaltech Lounge and Because She Can, officially concluded on April 11 at the Google Office in Accra and the results were nothing short of extraordinary. What began as an ambitious idea to unite technology and law across the continent quickly transformed into a catalyst for real-world innovation, spotlighting the next generation of African disruptors in Legaltech.
From an initial pool of 50 applications, 8 teams across 10 Universities were selected to compete. Over an intense 48-hour sprint, these innovators collaborated, prototyped, and pitched solutions addressing some of the continent’s most pressing legal and civic challenges in access to justice
Meet the Winning Teams:
- Team Advis won top honors with an AI-powered legal assistant built to support self-represented individuals navigating Ghana’s legal system. The platform offers step-by-step guidance before, during, and after legal issues, including simplified legal flashcards, document review, referrals to free and paid lawyers, and ongoing support.
What sets it apart? Multilingual access. Users can interact in Twi, Ga, or Ewe making legal help more inclusive and accessible. With integrations like Kwame AI and the Legal Aid Commission, it’s a bold step toward democratizing justice. Their win also comes with an internship opportunity from leading corporate law firm Vint & Alethia Attorneys & Consultants.
Team Legalis, the first runner-up, introduced a powerful AI-driven legal research and document management platform built specifically for African legal systems. Designed to help lawyers work faster and smarter, it automates case analysis, summarizes legal documents, and streamlines access to precedents all through an intuitive conversational AI interface.
With secure cloud collaboration and tools trained on Ghanaian and African judicial data, it promises to accelerate justice delivery and cut legal research time drastically. As a top team, they’ll also showcase their innovation at the Accra Lawtech Hangout 2025, reaching an audience of over 600 legal and tech professionals.
Team Lawgorithm, awarded second runner-up, introduced AI Legal Assist, an AI-powered platform that makes legal assistance accessible and affordable. Using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and Dialogflow CX, the platform provides intelligent, personalized legal guidance, answering queries and summarizing legal documents like contracts. Designed for individuals and small businesses, AI Legal Assist simplifies legal processes, saving time and reducing costs while empowering users to make informed decisions. This innovative solution aims to democratize legal access and create a more equitable society.
Special Awards
In addition to the top three prizes, Vint & Alethia Attorneys & Consultants also presented two special recognitions:
- Best Female Participant was awarded to Marcia Achiaa Antwi from Team LegalX for her leadership, clarity of thought, and standout contribution to her team’s legaltech concept.
- Most Promising Solution went to Team PrimeOps, for their AI-powered Online Dispute Resolution platform tackling Ghana’s court backlog. The tool blends AI and human oversight to deliver fast, fair, and accessible justice for small claims and civil disputes.
As part of their recognition, both Team Advis and Team Legalis will showcase their innovations at this year’s Accra Lawtech Hangout, one of the continent’s biggest legal innovation gatherings with over 600+ legal professionals, technologists, and investors expected in attendance.
Beyond Code: A Platform for Possibility
What set this event apart wasn’t just the technical prowess, it was the mission-driven mindset. These teams built for people, not just platforms. Each solution reflected an acute understanding of Africa’s unique legal and socio-economic landscape.
The hackathon also brought together a powerhouse of hacker mentors and judges, including Jessie A. Abugre, co-founder of Zuputo and Poka, Frederick Abu-Bonsrah, Legal Counsel for Kwame AI and Co-founder of Lex Evolve, Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh, former IBM executive and CEO of BrainWave AfricaTech, Joel Kojo Abaka Anaman, Senior Product Manager at Axmed and Founder of Mande, Paul Boamah, Senior Software Engineer at Stanbic Bank Ghana and Isaac Kojo Yedonu Aboah, Founder and host of Change Africa Podcast. Their insight and leadership amplified the learning, strategy, and depth of innovation seen during the weekend.
A Vision Realized And Just Beginning
This hackathon wasn’t a one-off event, it was the beginning of a movement.
The Africa Legal Hackathon 2025 is already shaping the next chapter: an incubation pipeline, acceleration support, and a roadmap to scale these solutions across the continent. Several teams are now in early-stage conversations with institutions and potential investors who see the clear value and readiness of their ideas.
Michel Nkansah, Founder of Legaltech Lounge, shared his optimism about the future:
“This isn’t just about one weekend of innovation. It’s about building a pipeline that nurtures and scales African legaltech solutions; solutions built by us, for us, and capable of transforming justice systems continent-wide.”
Kweyakie Blebo, co-founder of Because She Can, emphasized the importance of inclusion and bold thinking in the legaltech ecosystem:
“We created this space so African women, students, and young professionals could imagine and build without limits. The legal system touches all our lives and it’s time we all have a hand in shaping it.”
A Call to Collaborate
The success of the Africa Legal Hackathon proves that when given the opportunity, African talent delivers world-class innovation. The ideas are here. The talent is here.
