2022 is a year of milestones.  Not only does Africa Tech Festival - the home of AfricaCom – turn 25 this year, but the Awards that acknowledge Africa’s greatest telecoms and technology contributors to its progression as a digitally inclusive and enhanced continent, will also celebrate their 15^th anniversary, and has included three new categories – The Start-up of the Year, the HealthTech Innovation of the Year, and the VC / Investor of the Year Award.

The awards, this year sponsored by Intelsat, will once again be hosted in person and at a glittering event that will take place in Cape Town’s prestigious Waterfront on Wednesday 9 November. They are a tribute to the hard work, forward thinking and dedication of the individuals and companies who are making it happen.

The shortlist has been revealed and will be narrowed down by the public, with the winners being determined by a panel of industry judges. Public voting closes on Wednesday 23 October 2022 at 23H59 CAT. 

Hans Geldenhuys, Director, Intelsat Africa, said: “It feels very special to get back together with the tech and telecoms community to celebrate the champions and trailblazers that power positive change through technology. These kind of celebrations are essential to keep the community connected and inspired to push boundaries, which is a true reflection of Intelsat's values. That's why it was such an obvious choice to be involved with the Africa Tech Festival Awards and especially the Changing Lives category.”

Commenting on the 2022 rendition, James Williams Director, Events | Connecting Africa | Informa Tech, organisers of Africa Tech Festival, remarked that: “Technology-backed and based innovation, some of which will be on show at the event in Cape Town this year, has played a large role in propelling Africa into becoming commercially competitive, and in many cases outshining more so-called developed economies.  Whilst technology itself is powerful, it is the people and the companies who create and deliver these technological marvels and solutions who are the real heroes, and it is they we look forward to feting in Cape Town in November.

“Each year, the quality and quantity of entries improves. 2022 is no different, and it has been a tough choice to narrow it down, consequently, this year’s shortlist is somewhat extended.”

The shortlisted nominees for 2022 Africa tech Festival Awards are:

Start-Up of the Year

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.

·Ujuzikilimo Solutions – based in Western Kenya, the company empowers small scale farmers and stakeholders to make fast, informed and data-driven decisions on the go, by collecting and making sense of agricultural data through sensors and farm data analytics tools.

·Carscan - a mobile augmented reality app powered by AI, that’s the first of its kind in the motor industry, Carscan uses computer vision and machine learning to scan vehicle damages and provide real-time vehicle health condition and repair estimates.

• LayUp Technologies - an advanced recurring payments system focused on driving financial inclusion in Africa through cloud-based pre-payment technology, and services businesses with digitised subscriptions, memberships, and debit order payments; making interest-free instalments simple and easy to use for both merchants and their customers. 

·Sendoff Funeral App - Sendoff digitizes the entire funeral process, providing convenience, information, and a 10X better CX, radically changing the approach to deathcare, with its user-friendly, intuitive mobile app that houses a library of online resources.
 

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. 

·Medismarts Limited - Medismarts is a MedTech firm that leverages technology, data, and foresight to identify and create viable and innovative healthcare solutions that cut across key areas such as Hospital Management Systems, Health Insurance/Claims Processing Software, Self-Service Portals that automate claims submission and patient management, and more.

·Zurihealth - Provides affordable and accessible healthcare solutions through an all-inclusive service that caters for individuals with a mobile device, regardless of their location, health history and social status.

• OuiCare - OuiCare is an electronic health record that allows the collection, storage, processing, and provision of secure medical data for patients, healthcare professionals and institutions. This health book is coupled with telemedicine and medical appointment scheduling, which is a major advance in the field of health in Cameroon and Africa. 
• One HealthTech - a global, distributed, volunteer-led community that drives better equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in health innovation.
• Kena Health - a South African health tech app enabling anyone to have an on-demand online doctors’ consultation from their smartphone. 

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.

• South African Housing and Infrastructure Fund – it diversified its real estate investment portfolio into high-growth, service-oriented assets further up the real estate development value chain. The fund identified optical fibre and renewable energy as the next growth frontiers for their affordable housing and land portfolio. Metro Fibre Networks was a high growth emerging player in South Africa's Fibre-To-The-Home and Fibre-To-The-Business markets. 
• Enygma Ventures - an investment fund for female entrepreneurs and women founders, focused on Southern Africa or SADC. 
• 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