The shortlist for the Africa Tech Festival Awards has been unveiled and is open to the public to cast their votes to decide the finalists who will shape the future of the tech industry. Votes must be submitted by October 23, 2023.
The three candidates with the most votes from the public will move on to become finalists. Thereafter an expert panel of judges from the Africa Tech Festival will look at the entries of each of the finalists and score them against a set of criteria to determine the winners who will be announced on November 15, 2023, at the Bay Hotel in Camp’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.
Nominations were open in 10 categories; Creative Visionary Award, Connecting for All Award, Innovation for Impact, CXO of the Year, Changing Lives Award, Female Innovator of the Year Award, Sustainability Champion of the Year, Fintech Innovation Award, Startup of the Year Award, and HealthTech Innovation of the Year Award.
For this year’s awards, the Africa Tech Festival introduced a new award category — the Creative Visionary Award, to commend the remarkable forerunners in the African media, broadcasting, and entertainment industries.
Overseeing the development of the awards and responsible for the overall festival’s successful delivery each year, Mr. James Williams, Director of Events at Connecting Africa and Informa Tech said the awards are all about celebrating the optimists in the industry for whom every challenge is a possibility and a solution waiting to be discovered and implemented.
The shortlist in each category includes;
- Connectivity For All Award: Recognizes and honors network providers and services that have demonstrated exceptional commitment and effort in ensuring connectivity for all.
- Avanti Communications.
- Google Equiano.
- Airtel.
- Angola Cables.
- TooMuchWifi.
- MTN Nigeria & Huawei.
- Intelsat.
- Innovation for Impact Award: Recognizes innovations of products or services that have disrupted traditional approaches, introduced novel solutions and created tangible value for businesses and individuals in Africa.
- WIOCC Group.
- MTN Uganda.
- Vodacom’s ‘Virtual Wheeling Project’.
- Safaricom PLC’s ‘Hustler Fund’.
- Orange Cameroon.
- CXO of the Year Award: Honours exceptional leaders in Africa and their outstanding contributions in building teams, setting new standards, and delivering a clear vision in a rapidly changing business landscape.
- Yasser Shaker, CEO, Orange Egypt.
- Dejan Kastelic, Group Technology Officer, Vodacom Group.
- Ahmed Yusef, CEO, Hormuud Telecom.
- Esther Munyi, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Sasfin Bank.
- Unathi Mtya, Group Chief Information and Digital Officer, African Bank
- Changing Lives Award: Recognizes and honors organizations and initiatives that are committed to improving lives across Africa.
- Ingressive for Good.
- Nokia, Unicef & the Orange Foundation.
- NuRAN Wireless.Digify Africa.
- Vodacom Foundation DRC.
- Sawa Youth Watch NGO.
- Huawei & UNESCO: Connecting Schools Initiative.
- Female Innovator of the Year Award: Honour the women who have made significant contributions to the fields of tech, media, and telecoms across Africa.
- Marjorie Saint-Lot, Uber.
- Shalini Boodhooa, Liquid.
- Ida Nganga, Women in STEM Leaders Network.
- Tinuade Oguntuyi, Information Connectivity Solutions Ltd.
- Bunmi Cynthia Adeleye, Chief Strategy Officer, Shoprite Nigeria.
- Nene Maiga, CEO, Orange Botswana.
- Sustainability Champion of the Year Award: Celebrates the remarkable achievements of individuals or organizations leading the way in the development and integration of sustainable energy solutions.
- Solarise Africa.
- Rack Centre.
- Orange Middle East & Africa.
- Axian Telecom.
- Raxio Data Centre.
- South Africa MTN & Huawei.
- Fintech Innovation of the Year Award: Acknowledges the transformative power of financial technology in driving economic growth, financial inclusion, and digital transformation.
- M-Pesa.
- Safaricom.
- Vulacoin.
- Tigo Tanzania.
- Mukuru.
- Vodacom Tanzania.
- AsaanaPay Inc.
- Startup of the Year Award: Acknowledges the entrepreneurial spirit, technological innovation, and potential impact of startups in driving growth, solving local challenges, and contributing to the advancement of Africa’s tech ecosystem.
- redAcademy.
- SAYeTECH Company Limited.
- Botlhale AI Solutions.
- JOBJACK.
- Bitpowr Technologies.
- It’s Learnable LLC.
- HealthTech Innovation of the Year Award: Recognizes innovative solutions that are changing lives, advancing healthcare, and making a significant positive impact on individuals and communities.
- HealthX Africa.
- Vinsighte.
- Vodafone Egypt.
- Zendawa.
- Secure Me SA.
- Creative Visionary Award: Honours exceptional media, broadcasting, and entertainment professionals across Africa.
- Andile Ncube.
- Khutso Theledi.
- Quinton Masina.
- Hellen Bright.
- Simone Venter.
Africa Tech Festival is a standout, not only in its recognition of the achievements of the companies and people who are making a difference in the lives of countless Africans, but for its reputation as an unforgettable evening of fun, food, and conversation in the company of some of the industry’s hottest talent.
