A high-intensity, hands-on build sprint where developers collaborate, prototype, and ship real-world products — in a single focused day.
This is not
A workshop.
This is
A Build + Ship experience.
Aligned with PyHo 2026: "Python for Builders: AI, Automation & Real-World Products."
This is a product lab inside a conference. Five goals, one sprint day.
Move developers from learning → building → shipping
Provide hands-on access to modern tools, APIs, and platforms
Enable real-world problem solving across key sectors
Connect developers with companies, products, and opportunities
Strengthen Ghana's position in the global builder ecosystem
Unlike traditional formats, the Builders Lab is built around four principles that prioritise output quality over participation volume.
Instead of an open free-for-all, the Builders Lab channels energy into five curated domains. Each track has a defined problem space, dedicated mentors, and partner tooling — so builders spend time shipping, not scoping.
Track partners aren't logos on a banner. They bring APIs, datasets, problem statements, and engineers who stay on the floor to mentor. The challenges are real. The tools are production-grade. The feedback is immediate.
The Builders Lab measures success in functional demos, not pitch decks. Teams are expected to write code, hit an endpoint, and show something running by the showcase. Ideas without implementations don't count.
Participants apply and are selected for each track. This keeps team sizes manageable, skill levels relevant to the problem, and the overall collaboration quality high. Quality over headcount.
Each track is powered by ecosystem partners providing APIs, datasets, problem statements, and mentorship. Choose your domain when you apply.
Payments, financial tools, and APIs
Intelligent systems, automation, and agents
Decentralized applications and digital ownership
Healthcare access and diagnostic solutions
Agriculture, supply chains, and farmer tools
The Builders Lab follows a structured arc from kickoff to showcase. Every team moves through the same five stages on the same clock.
Problem alignment, team formation, track introductions, and partner briefings. Builders choose their focus and meet their teammates.
Active development with mentor support on the floor. Teams write code, hit APIs, and iterate fast. Partners available for technical guidance.
Structured mid-sprint progress reviews. Mentors help unblock teams, course-correct, and ensure every group has something to show by end of day.
Teams finalise their prototypes and prepare short, focused demo pitches. The emphasis is on showing what works — no slide decks required.
Live demos to judges, track partners, and conference attendees. Selected projects are highlighted publicly. Partners identify standout talent.
The Builders Lab is selective by design. A smaller, focused group produces better work than a crowded hall full of strangers.
Participants apply and select their preferred track. Teams are formed around shared interests or complementary skills within the problem area — not randomly assigned.
This structure ensures:
Partners don't just sponsor a banner. They shape the track, bring the tools, and work alongside builders on the floor.
Interested in sponsoring a track? Partner slots for the Builders Lab are separate from general conference sponsorship. Get in touch to discuss track partnership opportunities.
Enquire about track partnership →By the end of the Builders Lab, every participant, partner, and organiser should leave with something real.
Teams deliver functional demos — not wireframes or slideshows. Each team ships something that runs, even if it's rough around the edges. That's the standard.
Selected projects are showcased to the full PyHo 2026 audience on October 24. Outstanding builds get visibility well beyond the sprint room.
Track partners gain direct insight into how developers use their tools, what problems they solve, and where the real-world friction points are.
Every builder leaves with practical, demonstrable engineering work they built themselves. Real code, real problem, real solution — exactly what a portfolio needs.
The Builders Lab is more than a sprint. It's a deliberate effort to close the gap between developers who know Python and developers who build with it — and to do that inside one of Africa's most active Python communities.
Build with modern tools and platforms
Gain hands-on engineering experience
Collaborate across domains
Contribute to local and global challenges
Applications for the Builders Lab Sprint open shortly. Select your track, apply, and come to Ho prepared to write code and demo something working by end of day.
Track partnerships are open for PyHo 2026. Partner with us to bring your tools, APIs, and challenges to the builders who are building Ghana's next generation of software products.
The PyHo 2026 Builders Conference is organized by the Python User Group Ho