The COMESA Business Council (CBC) and HiPipo have joined forces to launch the first-of-its-kind Women in FinTech Hackathon for Zambia and Malawi.

The Women in FinTech Hackathon is a strategic initiative for closing the gender gap in Digital Financial Services (DFS). It is a timely intervention especially considering that in 2021, less than 1% of foreign funding to Africa went to women-led enterprises.

The launch of the Women in FinTech Hackathon for Zambia and Malawi, part of the initiative’s entry in to the COMESA region comes at the back of its massive success in Uganda; where it has in the past five years played a crucial role in addressing the gender diversity gap in FinTech by providing more than 500 women with essential skills in FinTech products ideation, development, launch, marketing and sustainability.

As such, the Women in FinTech Hackathon for Zambia and Malawi will be a week-long activity that will involve up to 20 women-led teams in March, 2025. The Hackathon will offer physical and remote engagements to enable women from different parts of Zambia and Malawi to participate. It will introduce and on-board Women in FinTech to new and emerging innovative tools and networks such as the Level One Project, Mojaloop Open-Source Software (OSS), and its community.

Eligibility and Team Composition:

While the Hackathon is open to all women interested in Financial Technology, eligible teams must meet this criterion:

1. Each team must have 2 to 4 members.
2. The team leader must be a woman.
3. At-least 2 of the team members must be women.
4. Each team must have at least one developer.
5. Innovators with FinTech solutions supporting Cross Border Trade are encouraged to register.

Benefits of Participating in the Women in FinTech Hackathon:

1. Networking with fellow developers and facilitators from across the world.
2. Mentorship from industry players and business leaders.
3. Access to latest infrastructure and technology.
4. Prizes to the winning team and all participants.

Register by completing the entry form below before 3rd March, 2025.