BMCE BANK of Africa has announced the winners of the third edition of African Entrepreneurship Award, an initiative that aims to support African entrepreneurs, and has encouraged, since its launch in 2015, 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.
For the third edition of African Entrepreneurship Award, 12 winners from 9 African countries shared an envelope of 1 million dollars.
First PRIZE: $100 000
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
- Mr. Brahim Benjelloun Touimi, Group Executive Managing Director of BMCE Bank of Africa
Announced by Chairman Othman Benjelloun during Global Entrepreneurship Summit, held in Marrakech in 2014, and illustrating the commitment of BMCE Bank of Africa to spur innovative entrepreneurship in Africa, 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.