Absa Bank and GirlCode Launch Pan-African Hackathon to Empower Young Women in Tech

Absa Bank Kenya, in collaboration with GirlCode, has launched the 2025 edition of the GirlCodeHack, a Pan-African women-in-tech hackathon aimed at empowering 100 young women in Kenya to innovate around real-time challenges in FinTech, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence.

The 30-hour innovation sprint, scheduled for October 11–12, will run concurrently across seven cities in Africa, including Nairobi, and is themed “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of FinTech, Cybersecurity, and AI.”

The competition is open to women aged 18–35, including university students, recent graduates, and young professionals. Participants, registering in teams of two to four, will compete for a grand prize of KSh 725,802. This year’s event, which doubles Kenya’s participation from last year, is anchored on Absa’s ReadytoWork platform a mobile-based program equipping youth with digital and employability skills.

Absa Kenya’s Chief Operations and Digital Officer, Julius Kamau, noted the initiative aligns with the bank’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality, quality education, and decent work.

“By creating inclusive spaces like GirlCodeHack, we are ensuring young Kenyan women are shaping real-world solutions,” he said.

The hackathon seeks national representation and will be held in Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gaborone. Industry experts will mentor teams throughout the challenge, exposing them to Africa’s digital economy and strengthening their technical and problem-solving skills.

GirlCode CEO Zandile Mkwanazi reaffirmed the organization’s ambition to expose 10 million women and girls to technology by 2030. Applications are open via the ReadytoWork app until August 8, 2025.