KIGALI – Rwanda’s flagship innovation competition, Hanga Pitchfest, celebrated its 5th edition on November 14, 2025, showcasing the country’s fast-growing tech and startup ecosystem. Organized by the Ministry of ICT & Innovation and UNDP Rwanda, this year’s event brought together hundreds of young innovators, investors, and industry leaders committed to solving Africa’s most pressing challenges.

Re-Banatex, a social venture transforming banana stem waste into eco-friendly textiles, emerged as the overall winner, securing RWF 50 million. The startup impressed judges with its sustainable model that converts agricultural by-products into high-value textiles, an innovation addressing climate resilience, waste reduction, and green industrialization.

ICT Minister Paula Ingabire praised the quality and ambition of this year’s innovators, stating that Hanga Pitchfest has “become an important platform for the country’s youth to think outside the box and develop solutions to the pressing challenges our continent faces today.”

In a reflective post after the event, Minister Ingabire highlighted Rwanda’s rapidly expanding digital empowerment landscape, one powered by advanced AI tools, national coding initiatives, and cutting-edge educational technology:

• Google Gemini Pro, now available free for 12 months to Rwanda’s university and tertiary students, giving learners access to world-class AI tools.
• Chidi, a new AI Socratic tutor developed with Paul Jankura and ALX Africa, launched to boost critical thinking in Rwandan classrooms.
• One Million Coders, a national program training 1,000,000 young Rwandans in digital skills and software development.

“Rwanda’s innovators aren’t just pitching apps, they’re pitching answers to our biggest problems,” Ingabire wrote. “Give youth the tools, and they’ll build the future.”

Minister Musoni Paula echoed the sentiment during the ceremony, emphasizing that Hanga Pitchfest is “more than a competition, it is a movement showing the future our young innovators are building.” She commended the top five startups for practical solutions advancing healthcare, food security, and climate-smart production.

She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening policies, digital infrastructure, and strategic partnerships that enable startups to scale:
“Our young people are telling us clearly: We see the problems. We have the ideas. We have the energy. Just meet us with the support that is already within your reach.”

As Rwanda amplifies investments in youth innovation, AI accessibility, and future-ready skills, Hanga Pitchfest 2025 stands as a powerful testament to a generation not waiting for the future, but actively building it.