At the picoCTF Africa 2025 competition, students from Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA) claimed an unprecedented sweep of the top three positions in the high school category. This achievement highlights their mastery of cybersecurity skills and marks a milestone in Rwanda’s emerging tech talent on the continental stage.
picoCTF is the largest cybersecurity competition for middle, high school, and college students. Participants are challenged to reverse-engineer, hack, decrypt, and solve complex digital puzzles. The competition attracts competitors of all skill levels, pushing participants to think creatively and critically under pressure.
RCA students demonstrated exceptional technical proficiency across all challenges. They excelled not only in solving intricate cybersecurity problems but also in collaborating effectively as a team. Each solution reflected careful analysis, precision, and innovative thinking, enabling them to outperform peers from more than twenty African countries.
Their success also underscores the importance of Rwanda Coding Academy’s approach to technology education. RCA emphasizes hands-on learning, problem-solving, and exposure to real-world scenarios, ensuring that students graduate with skills that are immediately applicable and globally competitive.
The impact of this achievement goes beyond the awards. It serves as inspiration for younger students at RCA and across Rwanda, showing that dedication and training can lead to excellence in highly technical fields. The top three placements also highlight the potential of Rwandan students to make their mark in cybersecurity and technology.
Participation in picoCTF encourages students to develop a deep understanding of cybersecurity principles while fostering creativity and resilience. By competing at this level, RCA students gain valuable experience in tackling complex digital problems under pressure, a skill highly sought after in the tech industry.
RCA’s performance demonstrates that structured education combined with practice-oriented competitions can produce top-tier talent. The academy’s growing reputation in Africa’s cybersecurity ecosystem is further solidified by this impressive outcome.
These achievements are a stepping stone for RCA students, opening doors to advanced training, internships, and collaborations with global technology organizations. RCA continues to nurture leaders capable of driving innovation and securing Rwanda’s place in the digital economy.