Women in Tech Africa held the maiden edition of the Women in Tech Africa Awards over the weekend, to acknowledge amazing women who have accomplished tremendous achievements in the technology space.
At the hybrid virtual event livestreamed from Accra Ghana, Special Guest for the ceremony, Minister of State for ICT and TVET, Rwanda Claudette Irere commended all the nominees for their phenomenal resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking on the theme “Celebrating African Women in Technology: Maximizing The Benefits of a Post Pandemic Tech Boom,” she admitted how women have been more likely to bear the brunt of childcare issues and feel pressure to be more productive despite being in hard times. She also addressed how tech companies have played a pivotal role during the pandemic and how it is important for women to take full advantage of the benefits of the “post pandemic tech boom.” She ended by congratulating all the nominees and urged them to do more to mentor young girls into STEM fields.
The awards ceremony made up of 11 categories, spanned the various regions of the African continent. Winners for each category were determined by a panel of seasoned judges, namely, Rebecca Enonchong- Founder and CEO AppsTech / Board Chair Afrilabs, Estelle Akofio- Sowah- West Africa Regional Manager, CSquared, Onica N. Makwakwa- Head of Africa Region, Alliance for Affordable Internet. It also included Fatuma Muzungu- Advisor, Strategy and Innovation, FinDev Canada, Sameera Chattun Koyratty- Managing Director, Safe Sha Training Centre/ WiTA Mauritius Chapter Lead and Precious Mdlalose- Post Investments and Value Creation Manager, IDF.
About the Awards
The awards scheme seeks to celebrate Women in Technology in Africa, who are excelling in the field at all career levels, under theme “Celebrating African Women in Technology”
Women in Tech Africa is the largest group on the continent with membership of over 5,000 across 30 countries globally with 12 Physical chapters in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Germany, Ireland, Britain, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, and Cape Verde. Women in Tech Africa is also the 2018 recipient of the United Nations Equals Award for Leadership in the Women and Technology Space.
SEE FULL LIST OF WINNERS BELOW:
CIO/CTO OF THE YEAR AWARD- Titilope Fakuade, CIO MTN Liberia
CORPORATE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD- Kari Tukur, Vice President MasterCard Sub Saharan Africa
MOST IMPACTFUL WOMEN IN TECH EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE AWARD- ShEquity
OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TECH, WEST AFRICA- Kemi Okusanya, General manager, Visa West Africa
OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TECH DIASPORA- Brenda Zikonda, Cyber Security Consultant | Project Manager, Deloitte España
OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TECH, NORTH AFRICA- Amal Amin Ibrahim Shendi , Professor National Research Centre, Egypt
OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TECH SOUTH AFRICA- Yolanda Cuba, Group Regional Vice President Southern And East Africa At MTN Group
TECH ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR- Eva Sow Ebion- Director #I4Policy
TECH ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR- Temie Giwa – Tubosun- Founder, Lifebank Nigeria
WOMAN IN TECH STARTUP OF THE YEAR- Ama Dadson, Founder Akoobooks
WOMAN IN TECH TO WATCH- Vera Baker, Venture Capital Investor, Jua Fund