Four startups have been shortlisted for Nigerian mobile operator Etisalat’s ‘Pan African Prize for Innovation’.
Prizes of $25,000 for existing innovations as well as $10,000 for ideas or concepts are planned to given to winning entries at the AfricaCom conference to be held in Cape Town, South Africa on November 12-14.
Entries have been open to the likes of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals developing innovative mobile broadband solutions.
And the final four entries are Efiwe Mobile Application, Genii Games, Quality and Cheap Education for All and Spantree.
The company said in a statement that an expert panel of judges “painstakingly” shortlisted the entries from more than 2,000 applicants.
Matthew Willsher, acting chief executive officer at Etisalat Nigeria, described the 2013 entries as ‘outstanding and competitive’.
He said that the quality of entries received for the award was impressive.
“The creativity shown by all the entries demonstrates the importance of the use of broadband in Africa as well as the increasing benefits that can be derived from it. We witnessed an impressive array of innovative entries for the two award categories and bringing some of the ideas and concepts to life will go a long way in improving the telecommunications sector in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
The four nominees for the award are expected to accompany members of Etisalat’s senior management team attending the annual AfricaCom Awards ceremony.
The Pan African Prize for Innovation is aimed at encouraging and celebrating valuable modernisation in the African market.
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