- MTN is hosting a hackathon looking for up-and-coming talent in the fintech space with a focus on mobile money.
- The competition will see the top 12 tech developers from South Africa vying for a grand prize of $10 000.
- The MTN MoMo hackathon is ongoing right now and will last until 8th October 2023, interested developers are urged to apply.
One of the largest telcos in Africa, MTN is looking to glean fintech solutions from local talent and is willing to pay for it.
For the next few months, MTN will be hosting the MTN MoMo API Hackathon and is actively looking for developers to participate. At the event, talented tech developers could win $10 000 while making an impact on the financial services and mobile money industry of South Africa.
Spanning 15 countries across the continent, the South African arm of the hackathon opened at the end of July and will continue until 9th October 2023.
At the hackathon, developers will compete to design and develop a solution that, according to the telco via a press release, “goes beyond processing payments and incorporating additional features and functionalities that promote financial inclusion and literacy in their registered markets.”
Following the closing of entries, the MTN judging panel will select their Top 12 applicants to advance to the prototyping phase and compete for the $10 000 grand prize in South Africa.
“In South Africa alone, eight million people are registered on the MTN MoMo platform,” explains Bradwin Roper, chief financial services officer at MTN SA.
“This massive user base makes it ideal for local talent, developers, companies, and entrepreneurs to unlock economic growth through financial and digital solutions in their communities.”
Key details of the hackathon are:
- “The challenge will run from 31st July 2023 to 9th October 2023,
- Developers have five weeks to submit innovative ideas for financial and transactional applications incorporating MTN Mobile Money APIs,
- The mobile application must target consumers, merchants, or businesses, providing practical and valuable solutions that can be deployed in the developers’ registered markets. The applications should cover use cases beyond payment, leveraging MTN MoMo APIs,
- MTN in each participating country will select the top 12 applicants to advance to the prototyping phase,
- Preselected applicants will be required to develop a working prototype of their solution and provide a live application demo to the adjudicators,
- Finalists stand a chance to win their share of $10 000 in prize money in their respective countries.”
“We aim to encourage and bring to the fore the talent and creativity of Africa’s developers, enabling them to showcase their capabilities by leveraging the MoMo platform and creating opportunities for their growth.”
“By working with partners across the spectrum, from regulators to financial service providers and merchants, MTN can help improve millions of Africans’ economic and social well-being. Encouraging the participation of local talent, familiar with local needs, is an important facet of the partnership process,” concludes Roper.
Interested developers can find more information and register here.
[Image – Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash]
