Even though many innovative solutions are regularly released in Nigeria, none of them made the list of 10 nominees for this year’s edition of African Innovation Foundation’s Innovation Prize for Africa Awards.
The list that released this afternoon and made available to TechCityNG revealed South Africa dominated with 4 nominees. This is followed by Kenya with 2 nominations while one nominee each came from Burundi, Uganda, Morocco and Cameroon.
They are being considered for the grand share prize of US$150, 000. Since its inaugural launch in 2011, the awards has gathered great momentum, and is now recognized for leading the innovation frontier in Africa by rewarding innovators for their home-grown, market-led innovations that contribute to Africa’s growth, development and prosperity.
This year, AIF received a record 925 applications from 41 countries for its prestigious IPA awards, surpassing the previous year’s entry record of 903. The awards ceremony will be held on 12-13 May in, Skhirat, Morocco, a country fast trending as an innovation hub in Africa.
H.E. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy for Morocco expressed his enthusiasm to be co-hosting the IPA 4th edition in Morocco: “We have a strong commitment with AIF to unlock the innovation potential of the continent. The ambition is to make Africa a juncture of innovative and prosperous nations.” By focusing on the unchallenged role of innovation in the development of economies, Mr. Elalamy added that “in Morocco, the commitment to promote research and innovation mobilizes both the government and private sector decision makers who join their efforts to make the national innovation system a force for development.”