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Absa Bank Kenya, in partnership with GirlCode Group, has unveiled the 2025 edition of GirlCodeHack, a Pan-African hackathon designed to empower young women in technology. The 30-hour event, scheduled for October 11–12, 2025, will be held simultaneously across seven African cities — Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gaborone. This year’s hackathon will bring together 100 women in Kenya to develop practical solutions in FinTech, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence, with the winning team walking away with 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. The hackathon is anchored on the theme “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of FinTech, Cybersecurity, and AI” and will be hosted on Absa’s ReadytoWork platform, which equips young people with critical digital and employability skills. This year’s edition doubles the participation target in Kenya compared to last year, reflecting the growing demand for inclusive opportunities in the tech ecosystem.
The initiative also underscores Absa and GirlCode’s shared commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals. According to Absa Kenya’s Chief Operations and Digital Officer, Julius Kamau Mwangi, the hackathon is more than a competition — it is a gateway to opportunity and a means of advancing gender equality, quality education, and decent work for youth across Africa. Similarly, GirlCode’s CEO and Founder, Zandile Mkwanazi, emphasized their mission to expose 10 million women and girls to technology by 2030, noting that the partnership with Absa ensures that women not only access opportunities but also become innovators and leaders in the digital economy.
Last year’s edition drew more than 400 participants across five African cities, resulting in outstanding solutions ranging from gamified sexual and reproductive health platforms to AI-powered mental health tools and blockchain-based registries. Building on this success, the 2025 GirlCodeHack promises to deliver even greater impact, with participants gaining hands-on technical experience, mentorship from leading industry professionals, and exposure to Africa’s growing digital transformation landscape. Applications are open until August 8, 2025, via the ReadytoWork App available on Android and iOS.
