A team of Ugandan tech students has made the country proud by securing third place in the 2025 GirlCode Hackathon, a prestigious pan-African tech innovation competition hosted across eight major cities.
Competing under the name Code Forces, the team won the Kampala leg of the annual Absa GirlCode Hackathon before advancing to the continental stage. They finished third overall, behind Tech Gullies from Johannesburg (second place) and Tokiva Sisters from Tanzania, who emerged as the overall winners.
Now in its 11th edition, the GirlCode Hackathon—held on 12 October 2025—is a collaborative initiative by Absa Bank and GirlCode, aimed at fostering digital innovation and advancing the role of women in technology across Africa.
Uganda’s Code Forces team developed Teleka, a mobile application designed to help students save and invest their money. The innovation impressed judges for its relevance, user-centric design, and financial empowerment potential.
The team is composed of third-year Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering (BSSE) students from Makerere University: Ann Treasure Karagwa, Ayan Mustafa Abdirahman, and Shakiran Nanyombi.
Themed “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of FinTech, Cybersecurity, and AI”, the 30-hour hackathon featured participants from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, and Gaborone.
This year marked the second time Absa sponsored the continental leg of the hackathon, expanding its reach from three countries in 2024 to five in 2025. The expansion reflects Absa’s growing commitment to promoting gender diversity and inclusivity in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
“The 2025 GirlCode Hackathon has been an inspiring showcase of talent, creativity, and problem-solving,” said Helen Basuuta Nangonzi, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience at Absa Bank Uganda.
“These young women have demonstrated that when women innovate, communities thrive and economies grow.”
Tamu Dutuma, Head of Strategy and Transformation, Technology – Absa Regional Operations, emphasized the significance of inclusive innovation:
“It was inspiring to see how participants tackled the same challenge from different perspectives. Empowering women in tech and embracing diversity is not just a value—it’s a catalyst for meaningful change.”
The grand prize of R100,000 was awarded to Tokiva Sisters from Tanzania for their forward-thinking financial management platform aimed at empowering youth to manage their finances effectively.
“Their creativity, skills, and dedication show the remarkable talent young women are bringing to tech,” said Zandile Mkwanazi, CEO of GirlCode.
“It’s exciting to see their project’s potential for real-world impact.”
Mkwanazi also praised the hackathon’s growing footprint across Africa, noting that cross-border collaboration and diversity are fueling innovation and helping build a more inclusive tech landscape.
The GirlCode initiative aims to equip 10 million women and girls with tech skills by 2030. Absa reaffirmed its long-term support for the mission, highlighting plans to scale the program to more countries in the coming years.
“Our partnership with GirlCode is about creating access, representation, and opportunity,” said Dutuma. “We’re proud to support young women who are shaping the future of technology in Africa.”
