The 45 start-ups – 15 in each of the three Awards categories – have been selected from a total pool of more than 300 applications, with Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Morocco showing the highest participation rates. Overall, FinTech is the category that received the most applications (124), followed by Health Tech (95), and Climate Tech (93). Nearly 60% of the applicant start-ups have at least one woman on their board.

   “The number and quality of applications received is a testament to Africa’s vibrant tech scene, which has proven to be resilient even in the face of the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Makhtar Diop, IFC’s Managing Director. “These Awards will help scale innovations in key sectors like climate tech, health, and financial services, which are critical to supporting the continent’s sustainable and inclusive growth.” 

The final winners (one per category) will be announced at the first AfricaTech Awards ceremony, which will take place during the 2022 edition of Viva Technology on June 15-18 in Paris. The three winning start-ups will benefit from access to the Viva Technology, IFC and category sponsors’ networks, as well as select one-on-one meetings with leaders and top executives in the tech industry. 

 “Africa is a breeding ground for talent and new ideas, and we are delighted to see so many innovative entrepreneurs participating in this first edition of the AfricaTech Awards,” said Viva TechnologyCo-Presidents Maurice Lévy and Pierre Louette, and Managing Director Julie Ranty. “It is a pleasure to be able to highlight these impactful start-ups and help promote their solutions across the continent and beyond.”  

The top 15 start-ups in the FinTech category, sponsored by Cassava Technologies, include: 

Abela – South Africa 
Applied Logic Ltd – Nigeria 
Click2Sure – South Africa 
Crop2Cash – Nigeria 
DreamCash – Cameroon 
Duhqa – Kenya 
Maisha Pay – Uganda 
France – South Africa
ImaliPay – Kenya 
Lipa Later – Kenya 
Neqabty – Egypt 
Popote pay – Kenya 
Premiercredit – Zambia 
Proxalys – Senegal 
SingPay – Gabon 

The top 15 start-ups in the Health Tech category, sponsored by Orange, include: 

Access Afya – Kenya
Aviro Health – South Africa 
BokDoc – Egypt 
Chefaa – Egypt
Keeplyna – Tunisia 
Med – Tunisia 
Meditect – Qatar 
Primed E-Health – France, Nigeria, Uganda 
SonoCare – Nigeria 
Vekta Innovations – South Africa 
Vula Mobile – South Africa 
Wala Digital Health – Ghana 
Welnes – Egypt 
Zencey – Ivory Coast 
Zuri Health – Kenya 

The top 15 start-ups in the Climate Tech category, sponsored by New Energy Nexus, include: 

AGROTECH PLUS – Kenya 
ATLAN Space – Morocco 
Bekia – Egypt 
Easy Matatu – Uganda 
Eco-V GreenTower – South Africa 
Farmtopia – Egypt 
Ipren Group – Nigeria 
iShamba Limited – Kenya 
Koolboks – France, Nigeria, and 12 additional countries 
Kumulus – France and Tunisia 
MyJouleBox (Aress) – Benin 
Seavo – Egypt 
SUNPave – Egypt 
The Awareness Company – South Africa 
WEEE Centre – Kenya 

KEY DATA
3 award categories 
Climate Tech, FinTech, Health Tech,  
312 applications
45 long-listed start-ups
3 final winners to be announced at VivaTech in June
 Find the top 45 list here

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Viva Technology.