Code SHEROs recognised by IGNITE and ZICTA: a milestone for women-led tech innovation in Zambia

We are proud to share a significant milestone for one of our proudest ventures, Code SHEROs.

This week, Code SHEROs received recognition from two highly competitive programmes shaping the future of women-led tech innovation in Zambia.

Selected: Top 40 in the IGNITE Digital Economy Incubator

Code SHEROs has been selected as one of the Top 40 startups in the IGNITE Digital Economy Incubator and Accelerator, a programme run by BongoHive and co-funded by the European Union under the Global Gateway initiative. Out of hundreds of applicants across Zambia, Code SHEROs earned its place among the country's most promising digital startups.

Shortlisted: ZICTA ICT Innovation Programme 2026

Code SHEROs was also shortlisted among 100 candidates for the ZICTA ICT Innovation Programme 2026 Cohort, a nationally recognised programme supporting Zambia's most innovative ICT solutions.

What Code SHEROs is building

Code SHEROs is an interactive coding education platform designed to introduce African girls aged 7 to 12 to the world of technology through engaging, story-driven experiences. Our mission is simple: to ensure that no girl grows up believing that technology is not for her.

We are still in our early stages, in beta, building our first world, and being discovered by families organically. But recognitions like these reinforce the importance and urgency of what we are building, and the place women-led innovation holds in Zambia's growing digital economy.

To every girl who has ever opened our platform and seen herself as a builder for the first time, this is for you.

Why this matters for women in tech in Zambia

Code Bloom is a women-led digital studio based in Lusaka, Zambia. Code SHEROs is our first product, born from a simple conviction: the best technology for African communities comes from women who feel the problem firsthand. Being recognised by IGNITE and ZICTA in the same week affirms that women-led tech ventures are central to Zambia's innovation story — not adjacent to it.