The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced the shortlisting of 15 finalists from 7 African countries for the Virtual Africa Hackathon 2020 (the Hackathon) to be held on August 31, 2020.
The finalists were drawn from 74 submissions from 14 countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The Hackathon seeks to harness the use of technology in addressing the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
The theme of the Hackathon is “Harnessing Fintech in addressing COVID19 effects on healthcare, digital payments, and economic recovery.”
The finalists are:
- Artisan Pay, Cameroon
- CrossPath, Libya
- MobiVocha by Blue ICT
- Last Mile Medicine, Kenya
- Sahani by Zavora, Kenya
- Solutions, Kenya
- Loniwa, Kenya
- SMECredit Pro, Cameroon
- MIZA A2F, Tunisia
- The Guarantee Company, Kenya
- Fundi247, Tanzania
- MobiCash, Libya
- Venue369, Kenya
- Kouran Jabo, Chad
- We-DARE by Ryken
- Business Intelligence, Kenya
- Wiretooth Technologies by Finaclusion, Nigeria
The Hackathon is envisioned to keep alive the spirit of the 2020 Afro-Asia Fintech Festival (AAFF) that was scheduled to be held in Nairobi in July 2020 following its postponement to July 2021.
It was launched on July 31, 2020, inviting applicants to provide solutions to 40 identified problems in the Healthcare, Digital Payments, Economic Recovery, and General categories.
These problems relate to the challenges and opportunities posed by the health and economic dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The call for entries closed on August 10, 2020. The 15 finalists will pitch their solutions on the virtual Demo Day on August 31, 2020. The winner will participate in the Global Fintech Hackcelerator at the 2020 Singapore Fintech Festival convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in December 2020.