Prof. Maggie Kigozi; a Ugandan Business Champion, Investment Promotion Expert, Entrepreneur, Farmer, Feminist, Chairperson of the Africa Scout Foundation and Senior Consultant at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has today asked young developers to work on their confidence and also respect humble beginnings.
“Confidence is key for business success and for us women, it is sometimes lacking. I urge you to do your best to work on your confidence. Talk to each other, and challenge yourselves to get better,” Prof. Kigozi, the chief mentor at the on-going Women in FinTech Hackathon said while addressing the over 50 participants today.
She added: “It is okay to start small and grow gradually. Look for capital from right sources such as family, friends’ groups, Saccos and banks. Please don’t go to the money lenders who simply ask for Car Cards or Land Titles in exchange for short term loans. That is not a good way of sourcing for business capital. I encourage you to have some patience, be able to save and use formal financial institutions such as banks. Business takes sometime unless you are very lucky.”
On the second day of the hackathon, the 14 teams showcased their Solution Design and Prototypes. They were also introduced to latest tools to use (such as Mojaloop), different APIs and use cases.
Organized by HiPipo under its Include EveryOne program in partnership with Crosslake Tech, ModusBox, Mojaloop Foundation and Level One Project, this women focused hackathon has participants conceptualizing and developing different financial inclusion products with special focus on women in areas such as payments, lending, saving, e-commerce, e-education and e-agriculture among others. It will culminate in to the Women in FinTech summit on Friday 18th September.
Innocent Kawooya, the CEO of HiPipo thanked Prof. Maggie Kigozi for always finding time to help young and small organisations. He noted that HiPipo is one of the beneficiaries of Prof. Maggie Kigozi’s mentorship and business coaching. He presented a Special Fibre Mosaic Art Piece to her in appreciation of her contribution to developing Uganda.
The Women in FinTech Hackathon and Summit come at the back of the great success of the recently concluded 40 Days 40 Fintechs initiative and the FinTech Landscape Exhibition that attracted over 100 financial sector organisations from all over the world, between May 13 and July 30th 2020.
Important Dates.
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- 12 September: Women in FinTech hackathon kicks off.
- 14th to 17th September: Women in FinTech hackathon underway.
- 18th September: Women in Fintech summit.
