Paris, France, May 2, 2022 - Viva Technology and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced today the top 45 start-ups that have been long-listed for the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards. This pan-African initiative, supported by Proparco, aims to recognize and support emerging start-ups that are driving innovation and development impact across the continent in three main sectors - Climate Tech, FinTech, and Health Tech.

The 45 start-ups - 15 in each of the three Awards categories - have been selected from a total pool of more than 300 applications, with Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Morocco showing the highest participation rates. Overall, FinTech is the category that received the most applications (124), followed by Health Tech (95), and Climate Tech (93). Nearly 60% of the applicant start-ups have at least one woman on their board. 

“The number and quality of applications received is a testament to Africa’s vibrant tech scene, which has proven to be resilient even in the face of the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Makhtar Diop, IFC’s Managing Director. “These Awards will help scale innovations in key sectors like climate tech, health, and financial services, which are critical to supporting the continent’s sustainable and inclusive growth.”

The final winners (one per  category) will be announced at the first AfricaTech Awards ceremony, , which will take place during the 2022 edition of Viva Technology on June 15-18 in Paris. The three winning start-ups will benefit from access to the Viva Technology, IFC and category sponsors' networks, as well as select one-on-one meetings with leaders and top executives in the tech industry.

"Africa is a breeding ground for talent and new ideas, and we are delighted to see so many innovative entrepreneurs participating in this first edition of the AfricaTech Awards," said Viva Technology Co-Presidents Maurice Lévy and Pierre Louette, and Managing Director Julie Ranty. “It is a pleasure to be able to highlight these impactful start-ups and help promote their solutions across the continent and beyond.”

The top 15 start-ups in the FinTech category, sponsored by Cassava Technologies, include:

Abela - South Africa

Applied Logic Ltd - Nigeria

Click2Sure - South Africa

Crop2Cash - Nigeria

DreamCash - Cameroon

Duhqa - Kenya

eMaisha Pay - Uganda

Franc - South Africa

ImaliPay - Kenya

Lipa Later - Kenya

Neqabty - Egypt

Popote pay - Kenya

Premiercredit - Zambia

Proxalys - Senegal

Sing Pay - Gabon

The top 15 start-ups in the Health Tech category, sponsored by Orange, include:

Access Afya - Kenya

Aviro Health - South Africa

BokDoc - Egypt

Chefaa - Egypt

Keeplyna - Tunisia

Med - Tunisia

Meditect - Qatar

Primed E-Health - France, Nigeria, Uganda

SonoCare - Nigeria

Vekta Innovations - South Africa

Vula Mobile - South Africa

Wala Digital Health - Ghana

Welnes - Egypt

Zencey - Ivory Coast

Zuri Health - Kenya

The top 15 start-ups in the Climate Tech category, sponsored by New Energy Nexus, include:

AGROTECH PLUS - Kenya

ATLAN Space - Morocco

Bekia - Egypt

Easy Matatu - Uganda

Eco-V GreenTower - South Africa

Farmtopia - Egypt

Ipren Group - Nigeria

iShamba Limited - Kenya

Koolboks - France, Nigeria, and 12 additional countries

Kumulus - France and Tunisia

MyJoulebox (Aress) - Benin

Seavo - Egypt

SUNPave - Egypt

The Awareness Company - South Africa

WEEE Centre - Kenya

KEY DATA