Hackathons are increasingly recognised as a way to foster innovation, develop data skills and encourage collaboration in official statistics. Their potential, however, extends beyond technical problem-solving: they can strengthen partnerships between National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), data providers and users, promote learning by doing, and encourage new ways of working. Yet, across Africa, experience with hackathons remains relatively limited, and NSIs wishing to embark on such initiatives may lack the practical guidance and institutional support needed to design, organize and sustain them. This paper explores how an initial experience of organizing a pan-African hackathon under the European-funded PASII-SOCSTAF project has generated momentum towards a broader institutional approach to hackathons in African official statistics. The enthusiasm of participants and the interest expressed by African NSIs prompted further reflection on how this experience could be shared and replicated. A subsequent study visit involving the winning teams and representatives of Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture, which had provided the data used in the competition, led to the preparation of an initial outline for a practical guide. In parallel, a side event at the United Nations Statistical Commission for Africa (StatCom Africa) produced recommendations calling for the development of guidelines to support and promote hackathons across African countries. The paper presents the rationale, development process and intended content of this guide. It addresses the key choices that shape a hackathon, including its objectives, target participants, data, partnerships and expected outcomes, before setting out the main stages of preparation, implementation and follow-up. Particular attention is given to the conditions that can help transform a one-off event into a meaningful and sustainable institutional initiative, including stakeholder engagement, data governance, the dissemination of results and the follow-up of projects beyond the competition itself. Practical examples will illustrate how the approach can be adapted to different national contexts and institutional capacities. Designed for NSIs with little or no prior experience, the guide aims to enable them to make informed choices, organize hackathons independently and progressively develop their own expertise. Conceived as a living document, it will evolve through the contributions and experiences of additional countries. By combining practical guidance with collective learning and knowledge sharing, this initiative seeks to move beyond isolated experiments towards a more established, collaborative and sustainable practice of innovation in African official statistics.
