The breakneck speed of technology advances across multiple industries is set to revolutionise the way business is done in Africa. And women are at the forefront of many incredible contributions as the continent gears up for the fourth industrial revolution, making 2019 the perfect time for a game-changing industry announcement. The incredible contribution made by women to the African telecoms and technology industry will be celebrated for the first time just as the continent gears up for the fourth industrial revolution.
This year for the first time, the organisers of AfricaCom have released a shortlist of candidates in line for the convention’s inaugural Female Innovator of the Year award. The award will highlight the incredible contributions made by the women shortlisted and will also add weight to the call for gender parity in ‘techland’.
The shortlist covers the full gamut of industry contributions and innovations from women in a wide range of roles. The organisers believe this diverse spread of talents and achievements highlights the impact women make at all levels throughout the industry.
Organisers are calling for members of the public (along with AfricaCom delegates) to cast their vote for the Female Innovator of the Year award ahead of AfricaCom, which opens on 12 November 2019.
The following women are included on the shortlist, with voting set to close at 12pm (South Africa time) on Wednesday 13 November 2019:
- Amanda Louw Bester, Founder and CEO, Pragmattica Digital Consulting
- Baratang Miya, Founder and CEO, GirlHype
- Dr Carolina Odman, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Western Cape
- Dudu Mkhwanazi, Chief Executive Officer, Project Isizwe
- Elisabeth Medou Badang, Senior Vice President Africa and Indian Ocean, Orange
- Gergana (Gery) Young, Software Engineer, BBD’s Research and Development Unit
- Lauren Dallas, Founder, Future Females
- Lorraine Steyn, CEO, Khanyisa Real Systems
- Sibongile Mongadi, Founder, Uku’hamba
- Siddika Osman, Managing Director, Nkgwete IT Solutions
- Tabassum Qadir, CEO, Uprise Africa
- Virtue Oboro, Founder, Tiny Hearts Technology
The award will be presented at The Lookout at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 13 November, at the AfricaCom Awards evening.
The Women in Tech Centre Stage Takeover is another new feature at this year’s AfricaCom conference, with the organisers hoping the Takeover will play a role in creating awareness around the lack of gender parity in the tech and telecoms industry.
The Women in Tech track will take place on the opening day of the conference and is set to include panel discussions on the challenges faced by women in their bid to break into the industry, along with discussions around ways to make the industry more flexible and attractive to younger entrants in order to ensure that the country’s brightest talents are attracted to the industry.
AfricaCom will be hosted once again at the CTICC in Cape Town from 12-14 November 2019.
The public and the AfricaCom community are invited to cast their votes for Female Innovator of the Year here: https://get.knect365.com/africacom/female-innovator-of-the-year-2019/
