AfricaCom Awards 2012: recognising African tech innovators

The AfricaCom Awards 2012 ends off the 15th annual AfricaCom congress and exhibition and celebrates innovation in the African tech industry. This year, several new categories have been added, giving a wider array of companies the opportunity to be recognised. Entries close 7 September.

Awards will be presented to companies with initiatives in the following categories.

• Best Network Improvement — an eye-catching, successful initiative that has significantly improved a network in Africa, since the end of November 2011.
• Most Innovative Service — a popular new offering which, from conception to execution, has been an innovation. It could be for the consumer or the enterprise markets, and could be messaging, m-commerce, video, etc. It will be in an African market, and should have offered significant new prospects for revenue & delighting customers since November 2011.
• Best Quality User Experience — Customers in Africa are increasingly demanding cool and engaging products, and this category recognises offerings from all sectors – service providers, device manufacturers, broadcasters, app developers, etc. So this award recognises a successful initiative in Africa that’s offered a superior quality of user experience in the past year.
• Best Cost Efficiency Initiative for Africa — an outstanding new initiative from a telecoms or ICT solution provider, or from an operator/ service provider (mobile, wireless, fixed or ISP), which has enabled greater cost-efficiency in the provision of telecoms, media and ICT services in Africa since November 2011.
• Rural Telecoms Award — an exceptional vendor solution, or operator/service provider initiative or service, which has extended and/or improved telecommunications services in rural and under-served Africa since November 2011.
• Best Backhaul Solution for Africa — recognises a fibre, satellite, or wireless solutions provider that has significantly improved backhaul capacity, with measurable improvements in quality and reliability of service, in Africa since November 2011.
• Best Marketing Campaign — for an inspiring and effective marketing campaign (can include new brand launch), advertising campaign, or innovative distribution strategy, launched by an operator/ service provider in Africa since November 2011.
• Best Smart-Device for Africa — for the innovation and creativity taking place in the African device market since November 2011. Smart-phones, net-books, and other smart devices strive to cater to the continent’s particular challenges and opportunities at the right price – which has succeeded?
• Best Pan African Initiative — for an initiative taken by an organisation or a group of organisations to improve telecommunications services at a regional or continental level across Africa since November 2011.
• The 2012 Mobile Data and Social Media Award — Mobile data, apps and online communities are the next growth areas in Africa’s mobile industry, so this award recognises innovation and creativity in the world of mobile data and social media — whether it is a new app, a social networking platform, popular content/media or successful data services — this category highlights the latest and leading initiatives from digital Africa.
• Industry Personality of the Year *Free to enter — This illustrious award is in honour of the most upstanding and inspiring figures working in Africa’s telecoms, ICT and media industries — the winner will be nominated and voted for by their peers.
• Changing Lives Award — This special award recognises an inspiring initiative that has significantly impacted African telecommunications in the community and contributed to economic and social development since November 2011.

AfricApps Awards

To celebrate the launch of AfricApps at AfricaCom this year, the Awards will celebrate the winning entrants of the following app-focused awards:

• Best Smart-Phone App in Africa *Free to enter
  This will be recognising the next African ‘Angry Birds’, the interactive smart-phone application which is showing the most innovation in engaging the content hungry consumer.
• Best Feature-Phone App in Africa *Free to enter
  This category recognises innovation in feature phone native applications. These are the apps that are dominating the African market and providing entertainment, education or enterprise opportunities to the consumer

Orange African Social Venture Prize

Orange has confirmed that it will be launching the second edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize.

The project is aimed at promoting social innovation for development, and financial and management support to new businesses.

Rewarding ventures using technology for development purposes

The African Social Venture Prize will reward for the second time, three projects or enterprises addressing needs of the ‘bottom of pyramid’ market in Africa through technology. The digital projects range from e-health and mobile banking to digital and mobile applications for education or agriculture. They represent huge opportunities for social development.

The Etisalat Nigeria Prize for Innovation seeks to promote the use of mobile broadband in Africa.

The prize will reward the most innovative existing mobile telecommunications product or service that provides a significant utility to African mobile users. The product or service would have been launched in the last 12 months, seen impressive uptake from customers and made a visible commercial or social impact on the community.