Technology and telecommunications heroes heralded for their Innovation, improving lives, and increasing inclusivity across Africa
Winners of the 15th Africa Tech Festival Awards (formerly AfricaCom Awards), sponsored by Intelsat, were announced in Cape Town on Wednesday night as the second day of Africa Tech Festival welcomed yet another record attendance.
Hans Geldenhuys, Director, Intelsat Africa, said: “It has been refreshing and energising being back in face to face contact with the technology and telecoms community again. There has been significant advancement in all things digital across the world and nowhere is that more prominent than in Africa. The awards tonight acknowledge this and those who are at the pinnacle of innovation in the industry. Congratulations to them and to all who were part of the proceedings.”
Agreeing with this perspective, James Williams Event Director, at Informa Tech, organisers of Africa Tech Festival, said: “The technology and telecoms industry never sleep. There is always something happening, and perennial innovation, all of which is necessary in the march towards a digitally inclusive global society. Selecting winners from the many entries we receive in each of the categories, is always a difficult task, and I am glad I do not need to this alone but can rely on a panel of experts to make those determinations. This is especially true of this year, where we had more than 13000 public votes, expanded categories and more entries than we have had before.
“I too, congratulate all who were nominated. Your efforts are making the difference this continent needs.”
The winners of the 2022 Africa tech Festival Awards are:
This award recognises the most innovative start-up, that has showcased potential over the last year for high growth and purpose-driven impact.
· Womenovate – a female focused online learning platform, based in Nigeria, offering women in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics) access to resources, training courses and jobs from world-class universities and companies, helping to close the gender gap/disparity and increase female participation in STEAM fields and sectors.
HealthTech Innovation of the Year
New for 2022, this award recognises emerging technologies for healthcare across Africa, that are changing lives, advancing healthcare, and impacting individuals and communities for the better.
· Nextwear Technologies – the very first wearable technology start-up in Nigeria, and inventor of a smart bra that can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.
VC / Investor of the Year Award
This award recognises the most impactful fund in Africa, which provides investment to support, build, and scale their investee businesses.
· Meridiam – an asset and fund manager invested into African infrastructure, including 4 solar power plants in Senegal, a geothermal power plant in Ethiopia, a hydropower plan in Gabon, a biomass site in Cote d’Ivoire, and solar home systems in West Africa. It has now invested into helping build and develop over 12 tier III carrier-neutral data centres across the African continent.
Fintech Innovation of the Year
This award recognises the organisation, project or individual who has disrupted the African Fintech space
· Kyanda Africa
This award celebrates the individual or organisation leading the development and integration of sustainable energy solutions
· Dr. Olufunso Somorin, Regional Principal Officer at the African Development Bank.
Connectivity Project of the Year
This award celebrates the network providers and services going above-and-beyond to provide connectivity in an environment where demand has never been higher, and broadband has become a lifeline for access to education & economic activity.
· Nuran Wireless
This award recognises the outstanding achievements of CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, CDOs and others in driving development within the African tech space.
· Samuel Chiwanda, Click Mobile Malawi
This award will recognise the outstanding achievements of women who are playing a crucial role in African technology and telecommunications
· Oladiwura Oladepo is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at Tech4Dev
Most Innovative Product or Service
This award recognises a game-changing product or service that has provided its target market with significant new opportunities for revenue growth or customer satisfaction.
· Orange’s Mahali mobile application
Celebrating the emerging talent in African tech – recognising and identifying future leaders and disruptors.
· Joseph Lumbahe, Lead Engineer, Computer Vision at Aizatron Group and a contracted (via Aizatron) Fraud Detection Engineer at MTN South Africa.
Recognising organisations and initiatives that have made a significant contribution to helping us build a more accessible and inclusive digital world
· Hormuud Telecom – humanitarian portal (Somalia)
The Africa Tech Awards will be back in 2023, please watch out for information in the new year.