KAMPALA, Uganda — A team of Ugandan tech students called Code Forces placed third in the continental Absa GirlCode 2025 hackathon, competing against groups from eight African cities, authorities announced Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.
The 11th annual GirlCode hackathon, organized by Absa in partnership with GirlCode on Oct. 12, 2025, challenged young women from cities including Kampala, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam under the theme, “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of FinTech, Cybersecurity, and AI.”
Code Forces, comprising third-year Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering students from Makerere University—Ann Treasure Karagwa, Ayan Mustafa Abdirahman and Shakiran Nanyombi—developed Teleka, a student savings app designed to help users organize and invest their money.
The top prize of R100,000 went to Tokiva Sisters from Tanzania for their financial management platform, while Tech Gullies from Johannesburg finished second.
Helen Basuuta Nangonzi, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience at Absa Bank Uganda, called the event an inspiring showcase of talent. “These young women have demonstrated that when women innovate, communities thrive, and economies grow,” Nangonzi said.
Tamu Dutuma, Head of Strategy and Transformation, Technology for Absa Regional Operations, highlighted the power of diverse perspectives. “It was truly inspiring to witness how participants tackled the same challenge from diverse angles, each bringing fresh insights and bold, innovative thinking,” Dutuma said.
The 30-hour hackathon involved teams from eight cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam and Gaborone. Absa expanded its sponsorship this year from three to five countries, reflecting its commitment to empowering women in technology across the continent.
Zandile Mkwanazi, CEO of GirlCode, praised the Tanzanian winners, Tokiva Sisters, for their forward-thinking solution. “Their creativity, skills, and dedication show the remarkable talent young women are bringing to tech. It is exciting to see their project’s potential for real-world impact,” Mkwanazi said.
GirlCode aims to empower 10 million women and girls with tech skills by 2030, a mission Absa remains committed to supporting through its focus on diversity and inclusion.
