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Two Nigerian entrepreneurial startups, Folashade Amusa and Sylvester Mujakperuo and 10 others form eight African countries have been announced winners and co-sharers of an envelope of N1m courtesy of the BMCE Bank of Africa, sponsors of the African Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) 2017 for African entrepreneurs.
However, no Nigerian made it to the second category classified as Innovative Prize. Winners in this category, who are from other African countries, won $50,000 each.
The initiative aims to support African entrepreneurs, and has encouraged, since its launch in 2015, not less than 33 entrepreneurs who were supported by more than 300 African and Global Mentors.
Following the final stage, 40 finalists from 19 African countries were brought together for a bootcamp in Casablanca on December 6 to 10, 2017. A concluding ceremony was organized on December 11 to reward the most impactful sustainable projects in three categories of the program: education, environment and unchartered fields.
List of winners of the third edition of African Entrepreneurship Award are as follows with their projects:
Category: Education
Louise Williamson – South Africa: Sustainability Professionals, Startup « Sustainable fuel ovens for schools in remote areas »
Category: Environment
Allen Kimambo – Tanzania: Zaidi General Enterprises, Start Up
Paper collection and recycling to protect the environment
*Folashade Amusa – Nigeria: VicFold Recyclers, Start Up
Waste collection, processing and recycling with reward system for households
Adan Mohammed – Kenya: Ecodudu, Start Up
Animal food production from insects and larva.
*Sylvester Mujakperuo – Nigeria: Saint Michelles and Joey Limited, Start Up
Transforming used paper and cardboard into new paper products
Kwame Ababio – Ghana: Green Afro Palms, Start Up
Optimizing the cultivation and use of palm oil
Category: Unchartered Fields
Flavien Simo – Cameroon: Save Our Agriculture, Start Up
Production of aquaponics kits that combines fish farming and plant farming.
Paul Bartels – Afrique du Sud: Waterbok Community Fire-Fighting Cart, Prototype
Fire-fighting Cart
INNOVATION PRIZE: $50, 000
Meryam El Ouafi – Morocco: Green Engineering Mission , Prototype
New irrigation technology to optimize water consumption
Badr Idrissi – Morocco: Atlan Space, Start Up
Smart drone use to combat illegal fishing
Geoffrey Ssekatawa –Uganda: Brent Technologies, Start Up
Lubricant collection and recycling
Christelle Kwizera –Rwanda: VOMA Groundwater Solar Kiosks, Start Up
Drinking water purification and distribution to vulnerable communities
The 12 winners were selected by a remarkable jury, presided by the Chairman of BMCE Bank of Africa Mr. Othman Benjelloun and composed by: Mr. Gong Li, ex-Chairman of Accenture, China, Mr. John-Bernard Duler, French-American investor and entrepreneur, -Ms. Marie Paul Niat, Cameroonian entrepreneur.
Group Executive Managing Director of BMCE Bank of Africa, Mr. Brahim Benjelloun Touimi, announced during Global Entrepreneurship Summit, held in Marrakech in 2014, that the support is to spur innovative entrepreneurship in Africa.
Business Hilights gathered that African Entrepreneurship Award reached its third year with more than 12,000 project proposals from 132 countries, including all the 54 African countries, and hosted more than 112 entrepreneurs who were coached in the bootcamp.
This unique initiative has enabled BMCE Bank of Africa to concretize its vision of a growing Africa, boosted by its young entrepreneurs to bolster economic and social opportunities presented to all Africans.
