On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Minister of Finance Dr Ahmat Jidoud presided over the official awards ceremony for the winners of the first edition Start-up and Fintech Challenge (SFC) tition of the Smart Villages for Rural Growth and Digital Inclusion (PVI) Project. It was at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Niamey.

85 candidates applied to the Smart Villages Project (PVI) competition, which is in its very first edition. They fall into 3 categories, including seed stage SFCs benefiting from 5 million each, developing FSCs receiving between 5 and 30 million, and mature FSCs with a grant of 30 to 60 million. 13 winners were selected at the end of this competition, which launched in November 2022. Indeed, the objective of this competition is to identify the best startups and fintechs in Niger and the sub-region through the evaluation of the solutions they offer to accelerate the financial inclusion of Nigerian populations, especially women and producers in rural areas.

This project will help boost the finance ecosystem digital technology favourable to increasing it in Niger. According to Finance Minister Ahmat Jidoud, “the President of the Republic's Program aims to significantly reduce poverty by allowing the creation of jobs, especially for young people and women, through the profound digital transformation of our economy.”