The AfCFTA Secretariat and its partners on the 4D, ProPer, and Caravan Initiatives, AfroChampions and the Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA), have announced the winners of the AfCFTA Caravan Prize.
Five winners have been announced out of the 10 finalists.
The 20 finalists and semi-finalists were tasked with conceiving and implementing models, concepts, plans, products and/or services that, at scale, could contribute to the objectives of AfCFTA and the broader Agenda 2063 of the African Union, of which AfCFTA is a flagship.
A panel of experienced jurors went through about 1,500 applications to arrive at their final decision. The AfCFTA Secretariat announced the following as winners.
- Founder, Bernie Akporiaye — MaTontine (Senegal /West Africa) MaTontine is a comprehensive Digital Financial Services (DFS) platform for the entire financial inclusion industry: Banks, MFIs, Digital Money Providers, agricultural associations etc. They enable access to a range of financial services like savings, loans, and insurance to financially excluded, mostly women, in Africa via mobile phones. MaTontine innovation promises a new Africa where trade is borderless.
- Founder, Purity Gakuo — Tekizo Africa (Kenya/East Africa) Tekizo Africa Limited manufactures and distributes solar-powered freezers to small-scale fishermen, offering them with sustainable cooling services in the fishing sector. Kuza Freezer’s innovation promises a new Africa where food is secured.
- Founder, Dr. John Afolayan — Medics2You (Nigeria /West Africa) Medics2You incorporates AI, analytics, high-definition video and video calls and machine learning to provide options for preventative healthcare, personal health management as well as specialist health services. Medics2You incorporates AI, analytics, high-definition video and video calls and machine learning to provide options for preventative healthcare, personal health management as well as specialist health services.
- Founder, Mildreight Muzendu — Africa Free Trade Area (AFTA) Cargo (Zimbabwe/Southern Africa) AFTA Cargo is utilizing its strategic units, to respond to the multi-layers issues that have for years marginalized Africa from securing a growing stake in the global cargo market. Disrupt Africa’s cargo market and join us to expedite AfCFTA implementation.
- Founder, Matthieu Gaudemar — Kudoti (South Africa /Southern Africa) Kudoti seeks to improve waste management infrastructure and grow the circular economy in Africa through digitization and tech-enabled waste value maximization. Disrupt Africa’s waste management system and improve the efficiency of waste and recycling markets on the continent.
About the AfCFTA Caravan Prize
The AfCFTA Caravan Prize celebrates Africa’s SMEs, startups, social enterprises and innovator entities keen on harnessing the benefits that will be created by AfCFTA to expand continentally and flourish at the grassroots.
Growing out of the earlier AfCFTA Vision and Caravan Africa competitive grants programs, the Prize seeks to discover transformative ideas to expedite AfCFTA implementation.
