Fintechs and Banks can Now Apply for a Lagos Sprint to Turn Gender Data into Real Products
A three-day design sprint in Lagos this September will help financial players turn gender-disaggregated data into practical tools and policies.
The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) are now accepting applications for a three-day design sprint aimed at helping financial-sector stakeholders use gender-disaggregated data to build better products and policies.
The “Activating Gender‑Disaggregated Data for Impact” Sprint will run from 22 to 24 September 2026 at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Lagos, according to the official participant pack. Participants are expected to attend all three days in person.
What the sprint aims to do
Over three days, multidisciplinary teams will work on turning insights from gender-disaggregated data (GDD) into actionable tools, incentive structures, and measurement approaches for financial service providers and regulators. The core objective is to accelerate financial inclusion by making it easier to identify and serve underserved female market segments.
The sprint focuses on three areas: GDD activation and market insight, policy and incentive alignment, and adoption and impact measurement. Organizers explicitly state that prior experience with gender-disaggregated data is not required. They are seeking professionals with diverse backgrounds across policy, data, innovation, product development, and financial services.
Who can apply
Applications are open to regulators, financial institutions, fintech companies, development finance institutions, microfinance institutions, data and technology specialists, researchers, civil society organizations, and gender and financial inclusion experts, as detailed in a Matrix News report on the announcement.
Broader context
The Lagos event is the in-person, country-level complement to AIR's six-week virtual Global Design Sprint that runs from July 20 to September 4, 2026, and focuses on turning gender-disaggregated data into practical tools for inclusive regulation. A World Bank Gender Data Portal profile on Nigeria underscores why sex-disaggregated data is key to identifying gaps in access to financial services, credit, and digital payments.
The sprint also aligns with Nigeria’s Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan 2024–2028 and UN Women’s call to strengthen gender statistics for policy and planning, linking a hands-on design exercise directly to the country’s national data commitments.
The application link is available in the @cenbank tweet thread. Questions about the sprint can be directed to the organisers at gddsprint@regulationinnovation.org.
