Insight2impact (i2i) in partnership with BongoHive Lusaka’s technology and innovation hub, Financial Sector Deepening Zambia and Insurers Association of Zambia announce the DataHack4FI Innovation Competition.

The competition brings together data specialists (analysts and software developers) and Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to use data to create innovations that address low financial inclusion in Zambia. The competition aims to promote collaboration between innovators and FSPs in Zambia.

The DataHack4FI Innovation Competition is open to innovative minds across the country, including university students, entrepreneurs, software developers, data scientists, statisticians and others with an interest in data and new data trends leading to increased financial inclusion.

The application process is currently open and will close on 18^th March 2017. Applicants can apply online – here. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to take part in a hackathon at BongoHive on Friday 24^th – Sunday 26^th March 2017. This 2.5-day event will bring together various FSPs and innovators to practically build and test solutions.

After the hackathon, the best ideas will be selected to go through a 4-week acceleration programme where they will receive support to further develop their idea.

At the end of the acceleration programme, the top three teams will proceed to the finals that will take place at the Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda in May 2017. There, they will compete with finalists from seven other countries.

The competition is the first of its kind in Zambia but is running in seven other countries across Africa, including: Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Senegal and Mozambique.