Absa Partners with GirlCode to Empower Young Women in Tech
Absa Bank Kenya, in collaboration with GirlCode, has launched the 2025 edition of GirlCodeHack, a Pan-African women-in-tech hackathon aimed at empowering 100 young women in Kenya to develop real-time solutions in FinTech, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence.
The 30-hour innovation sprint, set for October 11–12, 2025, will run simultaneously across seven African cities — Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gaborone. With the theme “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of FinTech, Cybersecurity, and AI”, the winning team will take home a grand prize of KES 725,802.
Participation is open to university students, recent graduates, and young professionals aged 18–35, working in teams of two to four. This year’s event doubles last year’s Kenyan participant target and will be hosted through Absa’s ReadytoWork platform — a mobile-based initiative that equips young people with digital and employability skills.
“This hackathon is a gateway to opportunity. By creating inclusive spaces like GirlCodeHack, we are not only investing in the future of tech but also advancing key Sustainable Development Goals — from quality education to gender equality and decent work,” said Julius Kamau, Chief Operations and Digital Officer at Absa Kenya.
Absa and GirlCode are also placing a strong emphasis on inclusion and diversity, ensuring participation from counties across the country. Tamu Dutuma, Absa Group’s Head of Strategy and Transformation, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to empowering young women in technology, stating that diversity and inclusion remain central to its digital transformation strategy.
Last year’s edition of the Absa GirlCode Hackathon, held across five cities, brought together more than 400 young women from across the continent. Kenya’s winning team created a web application providing women and girls with gamified, accessible sexual and reproductive health information. Other standout innovations included a carbon footprint calculator, an AI-powered mental health tool, blockchain-based land registries, and fraud detection solutions for African SMEs.
“Our mission is to expose 10 million women and girls to technology by 2030,” said Zandile Mkwanazi, CEO and Founder of GirlCode. “With Absa’s partnership, we are scaling impact and ensuring more women see themselves not just as coders, but as problem-solvers, innovators, and leaders.”
This year’s participants will gain hands-on technical experience, mentorship from industry professionals, and exposure to Africa’s growing digital economy. Applications are open until August 8, 2025, via the ReadytoWork App available on Android and iOS.
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