The African Finance and Investment Forum (AFIF) Entrepreneurship Awards has announced the finalists for the 2017 awards. Six companies have been shortlisted for the awards which focuses on projects with big economic, social and ecological impact.
“We are delighted to announce the finalists for the AFIF Entrepreneurship Award 2017 after a really difficult selection process. The innovation and creativity of African-based SMEs makes our job more difficult every year. We look forward to welcoming these and many more entrepreneurs at the AFIF 2017 in Nairobi” - Inês Bastos, Senior Project Manager at EMRC International and head of AFIF 2017
According to a press publication on APO, applications for the AFIF Entrepreneurship Awards 2017 came from different countries across Africa. The finalists were shortlisted out of 51 projects that were submitted.
The finalists for the AFIF Entrepreneurship Award 2017 are:
- First Atlantic Semiconductors and Microelectronics (Nigeria) – This company has developed the “Zenvus”, an intelligent solution to collect soil data using a system of electronic sensors. Its mission is improve farming productivity.
- R n G Company limited (Kenya) – The company sells packaged Rhizo-fix (groundnut inoculum), a biofertilizer that ensures a more efficient groundnut production. It also collects the groundnuts from local farmers to produce affordable cooking oil.
- EuroFresh Exotics (Kenya) – The company produces and exports fresh fruits and vegetables using innovative farming techniques. They also organise capacity building trainings for smallholder farmers.
- Kimolo Super rice (Tanzania) – The company is specialized in processing and marketing branded rice and sunflower oil. The project is environmentally friendly since smallholder farmers produce paddy using water run-off from nearby hills.
- Eco Act (Tanzania) – The company was established to address the challenges of urban waste management, plastic pollution, deforestation and climate change. They recycle and transform post-consumer waste plastic into durable and environmentally friendly plastic lumber.
- Aybar Engineering (Ethiopia) – The company has developed the “Aybar BBM”, a technology that prevents excess water from suffocating crops and stores it for later use. There is no other similar technology in the market.
The six finalists will receive a free accreditation to join the AFIF 2017 full programme which includes invitation to join conferences, trainings, business meetings and networking opportunities. The winner will be announced at the forum and will receive cash prize and one year national and international media promotion.
The city of Nairobi, Kenya will host the AFIF Forum which will be held from 13-16 February at Strathmore University. The delegates are expected from across the world and the forum's focus is on entrepreneurship, innovation and access to finance in key sectors such as energy, water, ICT, health and agriculture.
