The annual AfricaCom Awards will once again celebrate success and innovation this year, by recognising the achievements of the best companies, solutions, products and personalities improving connectivity and driving Africa through the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Supported by Founding Awards Sponsor, PCCW Global, the awards will be held on 14 November at The Lookout in Granger Bay, Cape Town. With ‘Mardi Gras’ as the theme for this year’s celebrations (it is also AfricaCom’s 21st birthday), the event promises to be an unforgettable night of music, entertainment and celebration.
PPCW Global confirmed their involvement saying: “PPCW Global is delighted to sponsor the AfricaCom Awards which recognise the sterling works performed by companies and personalities that are developing solutions and products to improve connectivity that will drive Africa into the fourth industrial revolution. Good luck to all who enter.”
In line with all the new focus areas for AfricaCom 2018 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and enterprise digital transformation among them – the organisers have created some exciting new categories to celebrate the best and brightest innovators across tech and telecoms in Africa.
This year the AfricaCom Awards cover nine categories:
- Best Network Improvement
- Delivering Excellence in Customer Experience
- Fintech Innovation Award
- Most Innovative use of AI Technology (new for 2018)
- Most Innovative Service
- Changing Lives Award
- Best Sustainable Power Solution (new for 2018)
- IoT Product or Service of the Year
- Best Innovation in Digital Entertainment
Would-be winners can enter the awards here. Entries close on 5 October, so for your chance to be recognised – enter today!
AfricaCom Enterprise CXO of the Year Awards
Also new in 2018, is the AfricaCom Enterprise CXO of the Year Award which recognises the outstanding achievements of CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, CDOs and others in driving innovation within the African enterprise space.
Voted for by the public and presented at the AfricaCom Awards 2018, the AfricaCom Enterprise CXO of the Year accolade is awarded to an African-based enterprise leader who is at the forefront of navigating their company through Industry 4.0 by prioritising innovation, embracing disruptive tech and elevating the continent’s digital economy.
Nominate your choice for Enterprise CXO of the Year here.
The AfricaCom CXO of the Year Award, back for 2018, recognises the outstanding achievements of CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, CDOs and others in driving development across telecommunications and technology in ‘Digital Africa’. It is open to CXO’s from licensed network operators, broadcasters and enterprise/SMEs within Africa and is free to enter.
Nominate your choice for CXO of the Year here.
Nominations for both the Enterprise CXO of the Year Award and CXO of the Year Award close on Friday, 21 September at 12 am CAT.
Orange Social Venture Prize
The AfricaCom Awards will also see the Orange Social Venture Prize awarded to a winning innovative project based on ICT which improves the living conditions of people in Africa and the Middle East in fields such as education, healthcare, farming, mobile payments or sustainable development.
Enter your project for the Orange Social Venture Prize here. Winners chosen by the jury will be announced on 13 September.
More about the AfricaCom Awards 2018 categories
Best Network Improvement – This award recognizes the most successful initiative from an operator or a vendor that has significantly improved the performance or coverage of a network in Africa since the end of November 2017.
Delivering Excellence in Customer Experience – Placing the customer in the spotlight, this award recognises a company or initiative that has provided a compelling customer experience. For example, this could be through developing an integrated CEM strategy, using data innovatively, or considerably improving mobile user experience.
Fintech Innovation Award – This recognises a FinTech business that has disrupted the financial services sector with new and innovative services, creating competition and transforming the way we experience financial services. This may include an innovative new product or service that disrupts the payments sector; services could be from all areas of the FinTech sector, including mobile or digital currency providers. This may also be a product or service which offers a new, or significantly improved, service and demonstrates the advanced use of technology to benefit customers and financial institutions to encourage financial inclusion throughout Africa.
Most Innovative use of AI Technology – This award recognises the most comprehensive and effective AI solutions to the market, across any industry in Africa. Judging will focus on how effectively the application has solved one, or several, business critical challenges.
Most Innovative Service – This prize recognises a popular new offering which, from conception to execution, has been an innovation. It could be for the consumer or the enterprise market. It must be in an African market and should have offered significant new prospects for revenue growth and customer satisfaction.
Changing Lives Award – This is where ICT meets socio-economic development and inclusion. This award will celebrate a product, initiative or social enterprise that is having a life-changing impact on individuals or communities in the region.
Best Sustainable Power Solution – As infrastructure reaches into some of the remotest parts of Africa to connect the unconnected, the electricity grid is increasingly inaccessible and unstable. This award recognises power solutions that can supply all the power required to provide a reliable service at a low cost, with a reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
IoT Product or Service of the Year – This award goes to the enterprise (either supplier or end user) that demonstrates excellence in IoT-related platform deployment or integration of an IoT-related solution into existing IT and business processes.
Best Innovation in Digital Entertainment – This award is for the most innovative product or service in which music, video or gaming content is being distributed across Africa. This could be a new streaming service, OTT platform, content model or a technology that provides an enhancement in the way content is being viewed on the continent.
Previous winners include:
- Delivering Excellence in Customer Experience: MTN & Huawei for their Customer Experience Management (CEM)
- Changing Lives Award: UNHCR for the Smart WiFi Kiosk
- Best Innovation in Broadcast: Telkom and Huawei for their Telkom LIT_ Service solution
- Most Innovative Service “The Business of Tomorrow”: Orange for rural electrification
- IoT Product / Service of the Year: SqwidNet for EcoCash Diaspora
- CXO of the Year: Ben Cheick D. HAIDARA, the CEO of Orange Burkina Faso S.A
AfricaCom 2018 will bring together 14 000 attendees, 450 speakers and 400 exhibitors showcasing technologies and solutions covering everything from 5G, AI, IoT, Fintech, Blockchain and beyond, with a host of new content and exciting developments.
