The 27th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa is currently taking place in Durban, South Africa from the 3rd to 5th of May 2017. The winners of the WEF 2017 search for the top female innovators in Africa have been selected and they will be contributing to discussions and generating action plans – that will boost entrepreneurship in Africa. In this second edition, six winners were selected as opposed to five winners selected last year. South Africa and Nigeria had two winners each while Kenya and Uganda also had one winner each.

“We want Africa’s top female tech entrepreneurs to join us so we can celebrate them as role models and so they can help governments and policymakers create conditions for others to flourish,” said Elsie Kanza, Head of Africa at the World Economic Forum.

If Africa’s burgeoning young population holds the key to the region’s economic fortunes then the future is looking bright, considering the quality of responses to the World Economic Forum’s search for the region’s best new female technology entrepreneurs.

Why was the search initiated?

The search was initiated to demonstrate the positive role that women are playing in helping drive growth, create employment and prepare the region for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Of the hundreds of entries received during the search, judges were able to manage the unenviable task of selecting only six laureates.

Under the search criteria, all companies considered are to be less than three years old, with at least one year of revenue and innovative technology or business model operation.

Meet the selected Entrepreneurs

Oluwayimika Angel Adelaja – Fresh Direct, Nigeria

ANGEL-ADELAJA 

Fresh Direct has pioneered stackable container farms – helping urban populations gain access to high-quality produce, reduce stress on land use and reduce the need to import vegetables. The company says its organic urban farms use less water and land than conventional farming while producing a 15 times higher yield.

Temie Giwa-Tubosun – LifeBank, Nigeria

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LifeBank is deploying the latest in digital supply chain thinking to deliver blood and other high-value medical products to hospitals and health centres using predictive modelling to ensure health workers get the life-saving inputs they need before they even arrive at the hospital. Launched in January 2016, LifeBank plans a rapid expansion into major cities across Africa.

Esther Karwera – Akorion, Uganda

ESther Akorion

Akorion has developed software that integrates smallholder farmers into digital value chains, helping them sell directly to agribusinesses. Since launching in 2015, it has developed a network of 42,000 farmers in Uganda. The company’s growth is supported by a network of village-based service providers. They are mainly young people, helping to address youth unemployment challenges in rural areas.

Darlene Menzies – FinFind, South Africa

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FinFind aims to remove a major bottleneck to Africa’s growth: helping SMEs and start-ups secure financing. By explaining and aggregating all sources of SME finance, the company has been able to improve entrepreneurs’ access to vital capital and help lenders identify a pipeline of quality loan leads.

Aisha Pandor – SweepSouth, South Africa

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SweepSouth has created employment opportunities for 3,000 domestic cleaners since it was founded in June 2014. The Cape Town-based business, which is backed by Silicon Valley venture capital, employs sophisticated algorithms to match its customers and “SweepStars”, creating flexible working opportunities and helping elevate the status of cleaners in South African society.

Charity Wanjiku – Strauss Energy Limited, Kenya

Charity

Strauss Energy’s proprietary solar roofing tiles are able to undercut conventional solar tiles by 30 percent. Having started with the domestic market, the company is looking to scale up the technology. Recently, Strauss Energy completed a pilot project at a secondary school where it was able to cut the power bill by 30 percent, ensure the uninterrupted teaching of vital IT skills and provide students with captured fresh rainwater for the school’s vegetable garden.

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