Introduction

The inaugural awards were held in 2011 at the Connected Kenya Summit; the award has since recognized more than 66 new ICT products and solutions.

The African Union Agenda 2063 indicates that Africa, today, has the potential to harness sophisticated technologies, and investment in the sector is growing rapidly.

It is projected that by 2063, African countries will be amongst the best performers in quality-of-life indicators. Africa’s collective GDP will be proportionate to its share of the world’s population and natural resource endowments, with economies that are transformed through science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and competitiveness.

Economic development driven by science and technology will result in 25 percent of businesses emanating from technological breakthroughs and innovations generated and commercialized by African citizens. The African Union Innovation Agenda aims to transform and increase the innovative capacities and achievements of African researchers and innovators into tangible outputs, such as products, services, businesses and jobs.

The Innovation Agenda will represent the backbone of our cooperation supporting research and innovation actions with Africa.

To support this transformation of Africa through innovation, the Connected Africa Summit 2024 will showcase technology-led innovations that have the potential to drive economic growth, create new markets, and address challenges on the continent.

Participants have been asked to submit their innovations in one of 8 categories that include;

1. Smart Cities/Mobilities
2. EdTech
3. Agritech
4. Fintech
5. Trade/Logistics/E-commerce
6. Green/Climate/Energy
7. Health tech
8. Creatives

How it works

A month before Connected Summit, a call for entries is advertised inviting African companies that have innovative ICT-led solutions in the market to submit their innovation for evaluation and awarding. The eligibility criteria require the applicant to meet the following requirements:

• Have a company that is officially registered
• Have a product or service that is complete and has been in use for at least 6 months
• Have a product or service that has Africans as end-users (can be delivered through a third-party company or organization)
• Have a product or service that addresses that is geared towards meeting the objectives of The African Union Agenda 2063 goals and priority areas.

‍

Selection Process

A panel of experts from the continent are invited to review and select winners from the proposals submitted. All proposals are submitted online. The panel meets for 2-3 days and reviews and scores evidence submitted for each proposal that meets the criteria. The panel then deliberates and selects runner-up and winners for the awards.

The winners and runner-ups are presented with trophies and certificates at an award ceremony during the Summit.

How to submit

Submit your innovation for the Connected Africa Summit Innovation Award.

To register click here.