Digital Excellence Rewarded at 2023 Digital Impact Awards Africa

The 2023 Digital Impact Awards Africa celebrated pioneering achievements and innovations in the digital sphere, honouring exceptional organizations and individuals who have showcased significant strides in advancing financial inclusion in Africa.

MTN Uganda & MTN MoMo took home the biggest award after being crowned as the Digital Brand of the Decade for their remarkable impact from 2014 to 2023 – the 10 years that this project has been running.

Standard Chartered Bank and Centenary Group received accolades in the Digital Brand of the Year category, with Diamond and Gold awards, respectively.

The Digital Impact Awards Africa is a platform that promotes Digital Inclusion, Financial Inclusion, and Cyber Security. The Awards recognize companies and stakeholders that are spearheading the use of digital mediums to serve communities and promote financial inclusion.

“The criteria of the nominees are always tight. Some innovators and companies have won every single year for their innovations and dedication to Digital Financial Inclusion,” Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo CEO said.

The Digital Impact Awards Africa is part of the broader Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit organized by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Ideation Corner, and Crosslake Technologies and generously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Winners celebrated.

Hon. Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, the Minister of State for ICT applauded the winners for their contribution to developing Uganda and Africa. She challenged them to continue innovating as this is the only sure way of transforming their communities.

The accolade for CEO of the Year was bestowed upon Fabian Kasi of Centenary Bank, who claimed the Diamond award, while Richard Yego of MTN MoMo was honoured with the Gold award.

Under the category of Community Digital Empowerment Excellence, Cente Tech’s Digital Messaging Platform for Catholic Dioceses clinched the prestigious Diamond award, with Oracle Academy securing the Gold recognition.

FutureLink Technologies’ MSacco stood out in the Financial Inclusion Excellence category, while Standard Chartered Bank excelled in Digital Banking Excellence.

In the Banking Innovation Excellence arena, Post Bank’s latest Wendi Digital Wallet emerged as a frontrunner. Centenary Bank and Pride Microfinance Limited claimed top honours in Community/MFI Banking Innovation Excellence, securing the Diamond and Gold awards, respectively.

Airtel Money’s Micro Merchant earned acclaim in FinTech Innovation Excellence, while MTN MoMo triumphed in Financial Services Digital Excellence.

For Consumer Goods Digital Excellence, Movit took home the Diamond award, closely followed by Jude Color Solutions with the Gold distinction.

Utilities and Government Services Digital Excellence recognized Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) with the Diamond accolade and the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) with the Gold recognition.

In the domain of Technology Services Digital Excellence, Comviva emerged as the standout performer.

Below is the full list of all winners.

Community Digital Empowerment Excellence.

  1. Digital Messaging Platform for Catholic Dioceses by Cente Tech – Diamond
  2. Oracle Academy – Gold

Financial Inclusion Excellence.

  1. MSacco by FutureLink Technologies

Digital Banking Excellence.

  1. Standard Chartered Bank

Banking Innovation Excellence.

  1. WENDI Digital Wallet by Post Bank

Community/MFI Banking Innovation Excellence.

  1. Centenary Bank – Diamond
  2. Pride Microfinance Limited – Gold

FinTech Innovation Excellence.

  1. Micro Merchant by Airtel Money.

Financial Services Digital Excellence.

  1. MTN MoMo

Consumer Goods Digital Excellence.

  1. Movit – Diamond
  2. Jude Color Solutions – Gold

Utilities and Government Services Digital Excellence.

  1. URSB – Diamond
  2. NWSC – Gold

Technology Services Digital Excellence.

  1. Comviva

Digital Campaign Excellence.

  1. #NoTuteeseOffline by SafeBoda – Diamond
  2. #KikoleForLess with FlexiPay – Gold

CEO of the Year.

  1. Fabian Kasi – Centenary Bank – Diamond
  2. Richard Yego – MTN MoMo – Gold

Digital Brand of the Year.

  1. Standard Chartered Bank – Diamond
  2. Centenary Group – Gold

Digital Brand of the Decade – 2013 to 2023.

  1. MTN Uganda & MTN MoMo

2023 Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit: Ecosystem Players Advocate for Infrastructure Enhancement for Financial Inclusion

During the 2023 Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit, industry stakeholders noted the need for improved infrastructure to improve business operations and counter the surging instances of fraud.

Held at Kampala Serena Hotel, the 2023 Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit was organized by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Ideation Corner, and Crosslake Technologies and generously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sanyu Gila, who graduated from university in 2015, found herself unable to secure formal employment. This led her to explore the potential of the mobile money agent business as an alternative means of livelihood.

“Over the years, I have grown and scaled this business, but it hasn’t been without challenges. Fraud prompted the closure of some outlets I had opened. Inexperienced employees posed vulnerabilities to my business resulting in big losses. The declining telecom commissions, taxes, and network issues have also eroded customer trust in some of the products,” Gila shared.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Aturinda Tryphine and Gloria Mirembe; also, Mobile Money Agents during the summit, which focused on ensuring the safety of customers’ funds and platform security.

The summit fostered discussions essential for advancing digital and financial inclusion across Africa.

“We face capital limitations. Sometimes you forego bigger transactions because you do not have enough float. As a result, you miss out on commission as well as customers who may not come back to you,” Gloria said.

Hon. Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, the Minister of State for ICT, stressed the necessity of enhancing Fintech infrastructure to safeguard customers and agents.

“HiPipo has championed digital financial inclusion excellence. As we navigate this era, our efforts should extend beyond to empower underserved communities. FinTech has reshaped business, but the escalating cyber threats highlight the need for cybersecurity,” she remarked.

National Payment Switch taking shape.

The anticipated launch of a national switch in payment processing in the near future aims to revolutionize financial transactions, enhance liquidity management, and streamline Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism capabilities. This initiative is forecasted to strengthen cyber surveillance while significantly reducing transaction costs for retail digital payments such as mobile money users.

Andrew Kawere, the Deputy Director of the National Payments Systems at the Bank of Uganda, said the primary objective of the national switch is to act as a catalyst for efficiency and interoperability, promoting standardized practices in financial transactions.

“We envisage the national switch being delivered as a safe and affordable public good that supports innovation. Digital transformation has been proven to have a positive impact on financial inclusion by providing an avenue for the disadvantaged to access financial services and to participate in the money economy,” he said.

The summit gathered key stakeholders driving digital and financial service adoption across Africa, including policymakers, young entrepreneurs, and innovators.

Dr. Warren Carew, Managing Director at INFTX, noted the challenges in developing an interoperability system.

“Addressing fraud in mobile money platforms requires identity infrastructure. Focusing on interoperability can reduce barriers to financial services,” Carew noted.

Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo CEO, applauded the project’s partners for their thoughtful commitment to enhancing digital and financial inclusion across Africa.

He noted that through partnerships and deliberate support, a lot of ground has been covered with millions of end-users onboarded on to the digital and financial inclusion train in the last decade. Nonetheless, he said that much more effort is needed for complete inclusion to be achieved.

Celebrating a Decade of Digital Excellence: Here are the 2023 Digital Impact Awards Africa nominees

HiPipo takes this apt opportunity to unveil the 2023 Digital Impact Awards Africa nominees. The release of the nominations follows the completion of both the entries’ submission and verification processes that have been ongoing since mid-July.

The shortlisted nominees come from hundreds of entries done through the nomination portal and direct digital submissions by potential contenders and their supporters.

The unveiling of the nominees effectively kicks off the voting process that will go on until Friday 17th November. While all nominees are winners, the overall winner per category will be determined by a combined public-jury vote.

Celebrating a decade of digital transformation, the 10th edition of the Digital Impact Awards Africa is slated for 17th November 2023 at Kampala Serena Hotel as part of the annual Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit.

Digital Impact Awards Africa is a platform that promotes Digital Inclusion, Financial Inclusion, and Cyber Security. The Awards recognize and celebrate stakeholders who are spearheading the use of digital mediums to serve communities. They further celebrate digital excellence across the continent; big or small, local or international.

On the other hand, the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit explores strategic trends and technologies that are shaping the future of Digital, ICTs, and Business. Special attention is paid to the safety of customers’ funds and the security of platforms in the Digital Financial Services ecosystem.

The 2023 summit will bring together hundreds of delegates including C-Level executives who are spearheading the scaling, adoption, and usage of digital and financial services across Africa, policymakers, young entrepreneurs, and innovators in the Digital and Financial Inclusion ecosystem. The summit will shine a spotlight on how businesses have recovered from the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cyber Security threats among other key topics.

It will have over 50 speakers from government, multinationals, large enterprises, small and mid-sized enterprises, and start-ups. Additionally, the summit will offer a platform for informal businesses (like market vendors, smallholder farmers, sole proprietors, public transporters, e-commerce delivery agents, etc.)  

Both the Digital Impact Awards Africa and Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit are organized by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Ideation Corner, and Crosslake Technologies and generously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Here is the Full List of #DIAA2023 Nominations:

Community Digital Empowerment Excellence.

  1. Church Offertory and Tithe Collection by EzeeMoney
  2. Digital Messaging Platform for Catholic Dioceses by Cente Tech
  3. MTN ACE-Tech
  4. Oracle Academy
  5. Tawaza Digital Varieties

Financial Inclusion Excellence.

  1. Hospital Sente by Airtel Money, Prudential Uganda and Turaco
  2. Kawu Smart Card by Kawu Uganda
  3. MaMa’s Account by clinicPesa
  4. MSacco by FutureLink Technologies
  5. Questbanker by Quest Digital Finance  

Digital Banking Excellence.

  1. ABSA Bank
  2. Centenary Bank
  3. DFCU Bank
  4. Stanbic Bank
  5. Standard Chartered Bank

Banking Innovation Excellence.

  1. Cente On The Go Account by Centenary Bank
  2. FlexiPay by Stanbic Bank
  3. Mobile Banking Solution – ELMA by Craft Silicon
  4. SC Shilingi Funds by Standard Chartered Bank
  5. WENDI Digital Wallet by Post Bank

Community/MFI Banking Innovation Excellence.

  1. Centenary Bank
  2. Future Link Technologies
  3. Letshego
  4. Post Bank Limited
  5. Pride Microfinance Limited

FinTech Innovation Excellence.

  1. Hamwe Pay by Hamwe East Africa
  2. Micro Merchant by Airtel Money.
  3. MTN MoMo Open APIs
  4. SafeCar by SafeBoda
  5. SchoolPay by Service Cops
  6. Xente Visa Card

Financial Services Digital Excellence.

  1. Airtel Money
  2. MFS Africa
  3. MTN MoMo
  4. Stanbic Bank 
  5. Standard Chartered

Consumer Goods Digital Excellence.

  1. Café Javas
  2. Hariss International
  3. Jude Color Solutions
  4. Jumia Uganda  
  5. Movit
  6. StarTimes Uganda

Utilities and Government Services Digital Excellence.

  1. NSSF
  2. NWSC
  3. Umeme
  4. URA
  5. URSB

Technology Services Digital Excellence.

  1. Airtel
  2. Cente Tech
  3. Comviva
  4. Ericsson
  5. Huawei
  6. MTN

Digital Campaign Excellence.

  1. #KikoleForLess with FlexiPay 
  2. #NoTuteeseOffline by SafeBoda
  3. Beera Smart by Airtel Uganda
  4. Beera Steady – Be Better by Next Media and Partners
  5. Together We are Unstoppable by MTN Uganda

CEO of the Year.

  1. Anne Juuko – Stanbic Bank
  2. Dhimant Shah – Craft Silicon
  3. Fabian Kasi – Centenary Bank
  4. Japhet Aritho – Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited (AMCUL)
  5. Richard Yego – MTN MoMo
  6. Sanjay Rughani – Standard Chartered Bank

Digital Brand of the Year.

  1. Airtel
  2. Centenary Group
  3. MTN Uganda
  4. MultiChoice Uganda
  5. Stanbic Bank
  6. Standard Chartered Bank

Digital Brand of the Decade – 2013 to 2023.

  1. Airtel
  2. Centenary Group
  3. Jumia
  4. MTN Uganda
  5. MultiChoice Uganda
  6. NWSC
  7. SafeBoda
  8. Stanbic Bank
  9. Standard Chartered Bank

Visit www.digital-impact-awards.com to cast your vote, today. 

Mbarara University students win the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon

A team of three engineering students from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) has won the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon.

The winners were announced at the 2023 Women in FinTech Summit presided over by Hon Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, the Minister of State for ICT at Mestil Hotel, Kampala. The summit was the climax event for the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon which run from 10th to 17th August.

Named E-Parking, the winning team is made of three engineering students namely; Christine Amutuhaire, and Charity Ainembabazi; both doing Biomedical Engineering and Elian Mwesiga who is pursuing Software Engineering

Though in its early stages, their winning product; E-Parking is a financial technology-powered solution that will on launch ‘introduce a mobile app to revolutionize the parking experience in Ugandan cities’.

To win, these young innovators presented a functional minimum viable product (MVP) that clearly demonstrated how their digital platform would simplify parking processes and enhance resource management.

The E-Parking MVP has features such as QR Code-Initiated Parking, Real-Time Payments enabled by Mojaloop software, App Tokens for Payments and Session Alerts.

They beat stiff competition from more than twenty-five other teams, including BorePay and Business Banking Hub; which came second and third respectively.

“We are super excited. We definitely believed in our product but didn’t see this win coming. The Hackathon has been mind-blowing. This win has vindicated our solution. We intend to continue pursuing it and eventually launch it. We thank all the participants for their health and positive competition. In a special way, we thank HiPipo and its partners for organizing a proper Women in FinTech event,” an overjoyed Christine Amutuhaire, the E-Parking Team leader noted following their victory.

BorePay the team that came second is developing a USSD-based payment platform that will guarantee safe water for rural communities through continuous collection of boreholes’ repair and maintenance fees from the residents in addition to other forms of fundraising while Business Banking Hub offers an inclusive bulk payment solution for the unbanked informal sector.

In her remark, Hon Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo applauded HiPipo for using Technology to champion women empowerment, noting that the government will continue to support initiatives intended to empower Women and the Youth.

“Even as Uganda boasts a female population of 50.71% in 2020, women are extremely represented among the unbanked. They face many challenges, notably in accessing digital technology, acquiring skills, and availing financial products,” Hon Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo said.

She explained: “HiPipo’s Women in FinTech training steps in to bridge this gap. We are proud of HiPipo and its partners for their commitment to levelling the field. Their dedication pushes Africa closer to tapping into its full digital dividend, ensuring all benefit from digital financial services. The collaboration between HiPipo and the Ministry of ICT is pivotal. It is not just about offering services; it is about understanding the deep-rooted social norms that obstruct women’s financial rise. This insight, complemented by research from the Level One Project, offers a deeper perspective on these challenges.”

Top Seven Teams.

The top seven teams were E-Parking – 4m, BorePay – 2m, Business Banking Hub – 1.5m, FinHub – 1m, HPaysa – 1m, Tax on Point – 1m and Simbula Tugende – 1m.

“We received over 100 submissions from which we shortlisted 30 teams from Kampala, Mbarara, Kabale, Kisoro Gulu and Nairobi. On day one of the hackathon, two teams did not turn up. We then remained with 28 teams that actively participated until the final presentations’ day when one team dropped out owing to an emergency that required their attention and physical presence,” Charlotte Neeza, the HiPipo FinTech Event Manager said, adding;

“The remaining twenty-seven teams met the judges on Thursday and demonstrated their solutions. All these twenty-seven teams are FinTech Champions. Because all the twenty-seven teams are winners, they are sharing the USD 10,000 collective prize.”

Running for the 4th consecutive year, this Hackathon is part of HiPipo’s broader Women in Fintech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program.

“The cardinal purpose of these inter-twined initiatives is to champion women’s financial inclusion through active participation in the initiation, development, and rolling out of financial technology products that are well-tailored to serve women and everyone,” Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo CEO said, adding;

“We are exceptionally supporting efforts towards closing the Gender Gap in Access to Technology, Skills, and Usage of Digital Financial Services. Several of our Women in FinTech Alumni are currently running sustainable Tech companies. We implore the 2023 winners and all participants to continue with their innovations, complete them and launch them.”

Between 2020 and 2022, the Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit, and Incubator project attracted over 4,000 participants and directly trained more than 300 women. Through dedicated mentorship, many of these Women have since graduated as Software Engineers and Computer Science specialists. Some have ideated, developed, and launched Financial Technology products that are transforming their communities while others have received seed capital from both the project and external contributors to further pursue their dreams.

The Women in FinTech initiative is implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies and Ideation Corner and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon concludes on a high, with winners to be announced on Friday

After a long week of solutions’ ideation and development, the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon teams have today pitched their final minimum viable products – MVPs to the Hackathon Jury.

The over 30 teams were each given up to 10 minutes to demonstrate how their developed solutions work. The young and nascent innovators used this time to wow the Hackathon Jury of six judges.

Of the six judges, three attentively followed the presentations physically whilst others followed the proceedings remotely. For each developed solution, the judges were looking out for innovativeness, business value, feasibility, potential impact, and integration with Mojaloop Open Source Software.

The judges also paid a keen interest to adherence to Level One Project Principles such as Same Day Settlement, Realtime Payments, Tiered KYC, and Transaction Irrevocability.

“The fourth edition of Women in Fintech Hackathon has embodied the transformative power of women in technology. Through a systematic approach, the Hackathon has tackled real-world Fintech product development; from problem statement and business case formulation to solution design, prototyping, and MVP dry run. This structured process fostered collaboration, innovation, and skill growth, all while emphasizing inclusivity,” Cleopatra Kanyunyuzi, the Hackathon Lead Facilitator and CEO of Club Tangaza, adding:

“The hackathon’s success has showcased how diverse teams of women can break barriers and lead change in the Fintech sector. This event also highlighted the boundary-less nature of innovation. Such initiatives hold the key to a more inclusive, innovative future for Fintech.”

But even after the final pitches, there was still some more time for learning. Stella Lugalambi, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hamwe East Africa tipped the participants on Overcoming Challenges and Building Resilience.

Mrs Lugalambi urged the young innovators to consider formalizing their FinTech solutions through registration and in the long run, getting regulator licenses.

“Right now, Financial Technology is regulated by the Bank of Uganda. As an innovator, find out where your product falls and understand what is required to register it. Even if you don’t get a license immediately, at least you will know what is required when that time comes.”

She urged the participants to remain, firm, resilient and focused on achieving their dreams.

“There are indeed problems to do with funding and digitization. Most of your target audience doesn’t even have smartphones and computers, but this should not discourage you. For whatever you are doing, do your best to find ways of funding your businesses without seeking commercial loans fast as they put a lot of pressure on start-ups.”

Overall Winners to be known at Women in FinTech Summit.

With the Hackathon curtains coming down; there was a visible sense of anticipation; with several teams very optimistic and in high spirits while others were evidently anxious.

Even though all participants are financial inclusion champions, the overall winners of this year’s Women in FinTech Hackathon will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money at the 2023 Women in FinTech summit on Friday, 18th August at Mestil Hotel, Kampala.

This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

 The past week has been exciting and action-packed. We have seen teams develop their nascent ideas into minimum-viable products. The majority of the teams have indeed put in so much effort and we really appreciate this. To us, all the teams are victors. They have submitted their final MVPs and we shall tomorrow get to know the overall winners.

The Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit and Incubator Program is implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies, INFITX, Ideation Corner and Mojaloop Foundation and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon Day 6: Teams coached on presentation and pitching

For the past one week, the over 100 Innovators taking part in the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon have been focusing their energies and resources on developing time and lifesaving financial inclusion solutions.

With just one day to the end of this year’s Women in FinTech Hackathon, the participants are putting their best feet forward and tying up all loose ends as they ready themselves for their final submissions on Thursday 17th August.

On Day Six, the teams dug deep into the workings of application programming interfaces (APIs).

According to IBM, an application programming interface or API is a set of defined rules that enable different applications to communicate with each other.

An API ‘acts as an intermediary layer that processes data transfers between systems, letting companies open their application data and functionality to external third-party developers, business partners, and internal departments within their companies.’

Paul Baker, the Principle Product Manager at INFITX took the teams through the workings of the Mojaloop APIs, showing them the different ways, they can integrate the Mojaloop family of APIs in their solutions.

“If your desire for Mojaloop knowledge is more technical, then try running a cut-down version of Mojaloop Locally where the API can be called and the logs of the micro-services interrogated. The Mojaloop Community supports various ways of running Mojaloop locally.”

In preparation for making their final submissions, the teams also had an in-depth pitching and presentation coaching session led by Flavia Eleanor Kasenge, the chief operating officer at EzeeMoney.

In her presentation, Kasenge defined pitching as how you describe the best version of yourself or your business; what you do, how long you have been doing it, and why you are the best at that particular business.

She noted that there are different kinds of pitching such as Elevator Pitch, Investors Pitch and Sales Pitch.

“When at a pitch, introduce yourself using catchy words, replace fear with confidence, be smart, and bring your A game. Stand out from the get-go because first impression is key. Do enough research and master your data –Have enough depth and clearly show an understanding of your business,” Kasenge said, adding;

“Importantly, end memorably; preferably with a life story of how you came up with the product. That conclusion can be as serious as that or as simplistic as a joke.”

Running for the 4th consecutive year, the Women in FinTech Hackathon is part of the broader Women in FinTech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program; all implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies, INFITX, Ideation Corner and Mojaloop Foundation and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon will culminate into the Women in FinTech summit on 18th August 2023 where the best-performing teams and individuals will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money. This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

Participants start working on minimum viable products on Day 5 of the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon

Driven by passion and an unsatisfied appetite for success, the over 100 Innovators participating in the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon have their priorities well set out.

It is this desire to succeed that is keeping most of the participants awake throughout the night; some turning the Hackathon venue into their temporary home, taking short naps on wooden desks and the floor before waking up to resume their financial technology solutions’ design and development.

With the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon entering the final and most decisive days, the Teams were introduced to minimum viable products (MVP) on Day 5.

A product Plan defines a minimum viable product, or MVP, as a product with enough features to attract early-adaption customers and validate a product idea early in the product development cycle.

According to Dorothy Kabarozi, a Full Stack Software Engineer and Facilitator of the Women in FinTech Hackathon, the creation of minimum viable products (MVPs) raises the developers’ confidence and opens multi opportunities for partnerships and possible funding ‘because creating an MVP, even if it’s a simplified version, can instil a sense of achievement and sureness.’

“In a Hackathon like this, MVPs encourage participants to think creatively and find innovative ways to address challenges. This empowerment comes from the realization that they have the capability to design solutions that can make a difference in financial inclusion, benefiting themselves and others, “Dorothy Kabarozi said.

She added: “MVPs inspire developers like the young women and men we have here to pursue further opportunities in the tech field and beyond, knowing they have the ability to contribute meaningfully. Lastly, MVPs allow participants to demonstrate the tangible impact of their ideas. This can lead to partnerships, funding opportunities, or further development to scale the solution, which in turn can have a lasting impact on financial inclusion and empowerment.”

Mentorship Sessions.  

Osbert Osamai, the Head ICT Advisory, Research & Strategy at Centenary Technology Services, was the morning mentor and presented on key skills for effective Digital Transformation, urging the teams to interest themselves in learning more support skills as these would complement their competencies in products and solutions development.

“Away from developing great solutions, you need project & product management, communication, decision-making and digital marketing skills. You need emotional intelligence to know what to say when, how and why. You must continue to learn as this will aid your growth. Importantly, continue to seek collaborations and possible partnerships.”

Lyn Tukei, the Communications and Public Relations Manager at Capital Markets Authority, Uganda, took on the PR and Marketing Strategy training. In her afternoon presentation, she noted that successful brands are built by consumers, not companies.

“Ultimately, it’s the way consumers perceive a brand that defines it. It doesn’t matter what you think your brand promises. The only thing that matters is how consumers perceive your brand,” Tukei said, adding:

“You need to work to develop consumer perceptions that accurately reflect your brand or your brand is doomed to limited growth potential.”

Running for the 4th consecutive year, the Women in FinTech Hackathon is part of the broader Women in FinTech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program; all implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies and Ideation Corner and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon will culminate into the Women in FinTech summit on 18th August 2023 where the best-performing teams and individuals will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money. This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon Day 4: Teams present Prototype Designs, trained on Financial Discipline and Product Management

Participants in the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon have continued to show significant progress and commitment to using Financial Technology to transform their communities.

Day 4 kicked off with a detailed session on Open Source Software and Mojaloop Security, presented by Paul Baker, the Principle Product Manager of INFITX and member of the Mojaloop Community.

The Mojaloop Open Source session was then followed by the teams presenting their solutions and prototype designs. With examples, they illustrated their solutions’ customer journey and explained how they envisioned them to function.

“From the presented solution and prototype designs, it is evident that a lot of progress has been made by all the teams. Each team is now focusing on delivering a functional minimum viable product (MVP) by Thursday, 17th August,” Charlotte Neeza, the HiPipo FinTech Events Manager noted.

“Compared to last week, the Hackathon is now tense in a very good way as the innovators continue to build their products. Teams are time conscious as they are aware that it is mission critical for them to have their MVPs ready and submitted for a final assessment on Thursday.”

Away from the solutions and prototype design presentations, the participants interacted with two mentors who shared extensive knowledge on Financial Discipline, Investment and Product Management.

Prossy Namubiru, the Youth Supervisor, Retail & Microfinance Division at Centenary Bank, noted that Financial Discipline refers to how well you are able to conform your spending and saving to the plans that you have set to achieve your monetary goals.

“Discipline is a necessary skill for proper financial management. Without it, you will never acquire or accumulate anything. Without it you will never accomplish anything,” Namubiru said, adding;

“Financially, discipline is about controlling your spending and making sure you pay for the things that need to be paid for. If you cannot control your spending, then no matter how much money you make it will never be enough.”

Namubiru noted that Centenary Bank has multiple offerings for young people including youth-friendly accounts, free financial literacy sessions for organized youth groups and low-interest youth loans.

Meanwhile, Mercy Angela Nantongo, a product manager and an emerging media technologist, took the teams on a product management voyage. She explained that product management is a deliberate and continuous process that ensures that both the product owners and customers get the best value possible. She likened a product manager to the customer’s voice within an organization.

“A product manager is like the parent of a child. This is a role we can differentiate from other actors in the child’s life like the doctor that helped birth them, or the teachers that guide them over the course of their lives,” Nantongo said.

“Product managers collect all the problems about the product, segregate them and share them with the responsible people in the product eco-system for resolution. They also plan and execute solutions. While customer support deals with after-sales, product management works more with before-sales.”

She noted that some of the key traits of successful product managers are empathy, optimism, being analytical, strategic and result-oriented.

Running for the 4th consecutive year, the Women in FinTech Hackathon is part of the broader Women in Fintech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program; all implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies and Ideation Corner and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon will culminate into the Women in FinTech summit on 18th August 2023 where the best-performing teams and individuals will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money. This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

Innovators urged to be patient with their Ideas. 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon Day 3

Teams from Uganda and Kenya, each comprising enthusiastic individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, are currently in Kampala, diligently working to refine their pitched ideas into Financial Technology solutions. 

As these teams gathered on Day three, a palpable sense of anticipation filled the air with the participants waiting to listen to words of wisdom and encouragement prepared by Damali Ssali, the founder of the Ideation Corner and also, the chief programs and projects officer at Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

In her morning presentation, Ssali emphasized the power of collaboration and the potential of innovation to reshape communities. She spoke about how HiPipo itself had been built on the spirit of innovation, with its history steeped in groundbreaking ideas that had transcended barriers and transformed challenges into opportunities.

“You always have to test your idea and then you roll it out. Find friends who believe in your ideas. Sometimes you may first need to develop your idea before you start talking about it. Don’t talk to people who will tell you it will never work,” she advised the youthful entrepreneurs.

“You also need to be passionate about your idea and push it. You must believe in it first before others do. Those are the most critical steps because many ideas have died in people’s heads.”

“You have to be patient with your idea because they usually don’t materialize immediately. HiPipo has for example been in business for more than 15 years. It takes time. You must have the tenacity to continue every year chasing that dream that you have. You also have to have the flexibility of mind to adapt to the idea. The more you learn, the more you will have the flexibility to tweak your ideas,” Damali Ssali explained.

Throughout the third day of this Hackathon, the diversity of ideas among the teams was astounding – from solutions aiming to connect housemaids to customers to savings and credit solutions targeting farmers and small businesses. There are also solutions focused on providing car owners with reliable mechanics during emergencies, and others reimagining Uganda’s modes of payments.

Throughout Day three, the facilitators listened attentively, their faces reflecting a range of emotions – intrigue, curiosity, and admiration. After listening to the team’s presentations, they provided insightful feedback, pushing the teams to delve deeper into their concepts, challenging assumptions, and encouraging them to consider the broader implications of their innovations.

“You don’t just wake up one day and put an idea on the market. You should consider the time span and the costs involved. If you plan adequately, you will make sure you work within the stated timelines. Look at the function requirements of the idea and find out what you really need,” Simon Peter Kamya, a Ugandan developer and one of the facilitators noted.

Collaborations also continued to blossom among the teams as they realized that their solutions often intersected, reinforcing the belief that collective efforts could lead to even more impactful results.

Paul Baker, the Principle Product Manager at INFITX highlighted that trust is of paramount importance while developing payment solutions.

“Trust builds user confidence. We need to build up a trusted relationship,” he said.

The afternoon mentor, Marion Kirabo – a legal associate at Matrix Advocates took the participants through Business Registration, Intellectual Property and Regulations.

She emphasized the need for Innovators and Tech Start-Ups, in general, to pay close attention to the latest legal developments in the industry such as the National Payment Systems Act, 2020.

Running for the 4th consecutive year, the Women in FinTech Hackathon is not just a competition; it is a platform for sharing and learning, a crucible of ideas that have unlimited potential to transform lives.

This Hackathon is part of the broader Women in Fintech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program; all implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies and Ideation Corner and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon will culminate in the Women in FinTech summit on 18th August 2023 where the best-performing teams and individuals will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money. This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

Innovators Tipped on Fundraising and Financial Management on Day Two of the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon

Day Two of the 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon was a huge success highlighted by participants presenting their refined Problem Statements and Business Cases.

The day started with a deep dive into both the Mobile Money ecosystem and the Mojaloop Open Source Software presented by HiPipo CEO Innocent Kawooya and Paul Baker, the Principle Product Manager at INFITX respectively.

This was followed by teams presenting their improved Problem Statements and Business Cases.

According to Dorothy Kabarozi, a Full Stack Software Engineer and Facilitator of the Women in FinTech Hackathon, this year’s edition has a variety of fresh innovations compared to the previous edition.

“On day two, we got to know an in-depth description of the solutions that the participants are trying to build for their different communities. There are several interesting solutions this year that we did not have in the previous hackathons. There are several innovations in areas such as Taxation, Forex Trade, Village Loans and Savings, Rural Women and Refugees’ Empowerment,” Kabarozi said, adding;

“The participants are really getting down to serious work now with a special focus on the pain points affecting their target audience. They are more engaged and willing to improve the solutions, which is a positive for them and the project.”

Furthermore, Franklin Ssozi, a senior Software Architect took the participants through the product development journey highlighting the need for all innovators to pay close attention to the KYC (know your customer) principle as it usually determines the success of any solution.

The late afternoon session took a different direction with the participants being trained on Fundraising and prudent Financial Management; two topics that are at the heart of potential success and possible failure of any business. This training was delivered by Vivienne Iga Kikoni, a Digital Finance Professional.

In her mentorship session, Vivienne Iga Kikoni noted that good fundraising starts with good financial management. In very simple terms, she noted that financial management means planning, organizing, directing and controlling financial activities.

“To succeed in business, you need to be specific. Your goal must be well-detailed with clear targets for a month, 3 months, 6 months, one year and five years, etc. Put all this on paper and diligently follow it. Whatever you intend to bring to the marketplace needs to generate income because fixed and operational costs will be incurred, leaving you with a margin of which taxes are paid to leave you with what actually goes into your pocket,” Kikoni said. 

She further noted that there are several pillars of fundraising such as strengthening relationships and support, raising awareness about your cause, providing donors and sponsors recognition, and building your donor base; which, if well executed, will pave the way for fundraising and other engagements.

Running for the 4th consecutive year, this Hackathon is part of HiPipo’s broader Women in Fintech initiative that also includes a Summit and Incubator program.

The 2023 Women in FinTech Hackathon will culminate in the Women in FinTech summit on 18th August 2023 where the best-performing teams and individuals will be announced and receive their share of the USD 10,000 collective prize money. This will be in addition to the winners automatically qualifying for the Women in FinTech Incubator program that will run from September until December 2023.

The Women in FinTech Hackathon is implemented by HiPipo in partnership with Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Crosslake Technologies and Ideation Corner and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.