“Less than a third of African women work in STEM, yet their ideas could power the next wave of fintech innovation.”
That spirit came alive at the 2025 GirlCode Hackathon last week, where 50 women tech enthusiasts in Uganda joined 700 others across Africa to develop digital solutions for women’s financial inclusion.
Our Chief Operations Officer, Patricia Nshemereirwe and Helen Basuuta Nangonzi, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience, led the charge inspiring participants to innovate with purpose and code for change. Later on, our Head of IT Philip Walera and Head Digital Banking Olive Katatumba participated as judges.
After 30 hours of collaboration and creativity, Team Code Forces, led by Treasure Ann Karagwa with Ayan Mustafa Abdirahman and Nannyombi Shakiran from Makerere University’s College of Computing and Information Science — emerged winners with Teleka, a digital savings platform helping students save, invest, and build financial literacy while onboarding them into formal banking.
Each member walked away with a laptop, plus other prizes but the real win was the confidence and connections to shape Africa’s digital future.
At Absa Bank Uganda, we’re proud to partner with GirlCode to empower women who are coding solutions that matter because when women rise, communities thrive.
#WomenInTech #YourStoryMatters #GirlCodeHackathon #EmpoweringAfricasTomorrow