Nouakchott: Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026
FINTECH MAURITANIA HACKATHON 2026
Women, Innovation and Finance: Building the Next Generation of Enterprises in the OIC Space
📅 Dates: September 28–29, 2026
📍 Venue: Sheraton Hotel, Nouakchott, Mauritania
🎯 Main Theme: “Women, Innovation and Finance: Building the Next Generation of Enterprises in the OIC Space”
Overview
The Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026 is a major forum dedicated to financial innovation, women’s entrepreneurship, and digital transformation across the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) region.
Held in Nouakchott on September 28 and 29, 2026, the event aims to bring together key stakeholders from finance, innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship to address the challenges and opportunities of building a more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable economic ecosystem.
Through panels, roundtables, and a dedicated hackathon, the forum will highlight the growing role of women in economic development while exploring how fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies can accelerate the creation of high-impact enterprises.
Context: A defining moment for women’s entrepreneurship
In Mauritania, women have long played a central role in trade, services, and economic activity. They create value, build businesses, and actively contribute to the prosperity of their communities.
Today, digital transformation is opening new opportunities to strengthen this dynamic. More and more women are founding startups, leading institutions, and designing the financial solutions of tomorrow. Fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital services are emerging as key drivers of innovation, financial inclusion, and large-scale wealth creation.
The challenge is no longer to demonstrate women’s contribution to the economy, but to accelerate their access to opportunities, financing, and networks that enable growth.
Objectives of the Forum
The Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026 aims to:
Highlight
Women who are building, leading, and financing the next generation of enterprises across the OIC space.
Explore
Fintech opportunities that foster financial inclusion and economic growth.
Identify
High-potential entrepreneurial talent and innovative solutions through the hackathon.
Connect
Entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, development partners, and public decision-makers.
Contribute
To a shared regional vision of inclusive, innovative, and sovereign finance.
Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026
A startup innovation lab
The hackathon is the operational core of the forum. Its goal is to identify innovative projects that can evolve into viable, high-growth companies.
Priority themes
- Financial inclusion
- Digital payments
- SME financing
- Agri-finance
- Savings and credit
- Insurtech
- Artificial intelligence in finance
Evaluation criteria
Projects will be assessed based on:
- Economic and social impact
- Level of innovation
- Technical and operational feasibility
- Growth and scalability potential
- Diversity and complementarity of the founding team
Forum Program
Panel 1
Finance, Innovation and Competitiveness
Building the digital economy infrastructure in the OIC space
This panel will focus on the foundations required for a functioning digital economy: payment systems, digital identity, data management, connectivity, regulation, and trust.
Expected participants:
- Regulators
- Central banks
- Commercial banks
- Fintech companies
- Regional organizations
Expected outcome:
Identify key priorities to accelerate financial and entrepreneurial innovation across the OIC region.
Roundtable 1
Financing the Next Generation of African Enterprises
This discussion will explore financing mechanisms adapted to African realities, aiming to support the growth of companies capable of scaling, creating jobs, and attracting investment.
Expected participants:
- Investors
- Banks
- Impact funds
- Entrepreneurs
Expected outcome:
A better understanding of the link between innovation, financing, and economic growth.
Panel 2
Leadership, Innovation and Value Creation
Women at the heart of economic transformation
This session will highlight women entrepreneurs, executives, and investors who actively contribute to economic transformation and value creation in Mauritania and across the OIC space.
Expected participants:
- Female founders
- Business leaders
- Investors
- Institutional representatives
- Private sector leaders
Expected outcome:
Showcase inspiring real-world career paths and identify levers to accelerate women-led entrepreneurship.
Panel 3
Artificial Intelligence, Fintech and New Business Models
This panel will explore the real-world applications of artificial intelligence in financial services, agriculture, commerce, and SMEs, as well as the economic opportunities it creates.
Expected participants:
- AI experts
- Fintech companies
- Entrepreneurs
- Academics
- Technology firms
Expected outcome:
Identify concrete opportunities for Mauritania and the wider OIC region.
Roundtable 2
From Idea to Enterprise: Scaling Startups
This session will bring together founders, investors, mentors, and ecosystem builders to discuss the real challenges of scaling startups and accessing markets.
Expected participants:
- Founders
- Accelerators
- Mentors
- Investors
Expected outcome:
Share practical insights and real-world lessons on building scalable and sustainable companies.
Target Participants
- Public institutions and regulators
- Banks and financial institutions
- Digital payment actors
- Regional and international organizations
- Investors and impact funds
- Startups and women entrepreneurs
- Tech communities
- Universities and research centers
- Media organizations
- Development partners
Expected Outcomes
The Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026 aims to deliver:
- Identification of high-potential entrepreneurial talent
- Emergence of innovative solutions from the hackathon
- New public-private partnerships
- Strengthened dialogue between finance, innovation, and entrepreneurship
- A sustainable regional dynamic around financial inclusion
- Stronger bridges between technology, investment, and economic development
A forward-looking vision
The Fintech Mauritania Hackathon 2026 is part of a broader effort to promote innovation and women’s entrepreneurship across the OIC space. Through dialogue, knowledge sharing, and the emergence of practical solutions, the event aims to contribute to building the next generation of enterprises, leaders, and innovations shaping the economic future of Mauritania and the region.
Hackathon Program and Application Submission
Organizer
NIL (Nouakchott Innovation Lab) is an organization dedicated to supporting Mauritanian entrepreneurs. Designed as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship, the lab helps founders transform promising ideas into tangible solutions through structured support, mentorship, and access to strategic networks.
An Action-Oriented Approach
NIL adopts a practical and iterative approach focused on experimentation and continuous improvement. The organization works alongside entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey, providing the expertise, resources, and connections needed to develop and scale their ventures.
Three Core Areas of Action
1. Detect
Identify and select entrepreneurs with innovative, high-potential ideas before they become widely recognized.
2. Build
Support founders in turning their ideas into operational products or services through structured guidance and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts.
3. Connect
Facilitate access to investors, institutional partners, and regional networks to help ventures grow and achieve long-term sustainability.
Key Figures
In 2025, NIL received nearly 1,000 applications from entrepreneurs. Of these, 890 founders participated in the selection process, and 4 startups were chosen to benefit from intensive support and co-development with the lab’s team.
Through this approach, NIL positions itself as a key player in Mauritania’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, fostering the emergence of innovative solutions that address the country’s economic and social challenges.
The Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), established in Casablanca in 1984, is the subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) responsible for promoting trade and investment among OIC member states.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second-largest international organization after the United Nations, with 57 member states spread across four continents. It was founded following a decision made at the historic summit held in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on 12 Rajab 1389 Hijri (September 25, 1969), in response to the arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied part of Jerusalem.
Financial Afrik (Kapital Afrik in English) is an influential publication specializing in covering financial and economic news in Africa. This platform focuses on a variety of topics relevant to the African continent, ranging from finance to investment strategies, market analysis, mergers and acquisitions, banking, insurance, and investment funds. In addition to its information activities, Financial Afrik organizes physical and virtual events, seminars, B2B meetings, and various specialized missions to serve the private sector and the integration of the African continent.
