- Winners of the Education and Economic Empowerment Category to get $150,000 USD each
- 4 additional $50,000 USD Impact awards within each category”.
- Ghana takes the lead with 3 Winners
- 2 Nigerians and 1 South African
Internet.org, an initiative of Facebook, the largest social media network has announced the six winners of the Innovation Challenge in Africa.
The platform recognized African developers working on apps, websites, and services that provide real value in the categories of education and economic empowerment rewarding winners with US$150,000.
In a statement released by the firm “we are presenting two $150,000 USD Innovation Challenge award prizes. Each to the leading app, website, service or idea that best meets the needs of the designated population categories (Education and Economic Empowerment) as well as four additional $50,000 USD Impact awards within each category”.
Education Category
Innovation Challenge Award Winner
Started in Ghana, Esoko makes it easier for businesses, governments, NGOs and others to connect with farmers. Through its web and mobile apps, Esoko enables two-way data flows that allow smallholder farmers to access vital agricultural information and markets, and businesses to gain better visibility into their supply chains. The name Esoko comes from “e” representing electronic and “soko” meaning market in Swahili. Esoko has since spread its services to eight additional markets across Africa.
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Impact Award Winner
mPedigree Goldkeys from Ghana is an anti-counterfeiting, tracking and tracing solution that uses consumers’ mobile phones as a verification tool. In Uganda and Kenya, this service is being used to help farmers determine whether they are buying original counterfeit seeds. They have since spread their services to Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Egypt for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agro-inputs like seeds and pesticides, and electrical components.
Impact Award Winner
Nigeria’s SaferMom provides pregnant and new mothers with simple tools to help make informed health decisions via SMS, voice services, and its mobile app. SaferMom uses a chain of community health partners and mobile technology to track the health of pregnant moms and newborn babies, immunization schedules for kids, nutrition and behavioral routines based on their fetal development stages and antenatal care. This service is available in the English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin languages.
Economic Empowerment Category
Innovation Challenge Award Winner
Founded in South Africa, Hyperion Development is a social enterprise that has built the first online course platform for computer science education supported by the largest online community of software developers in Africa. Hyperion Development allows anyone to take online courses in coding with a personal computer or mobile phone; even without a broadband connection, which fewer than 1% of Africans have.
Impact Award Winner
Launched in Ghana, Mutti by mPharma is a drug affordability service that enables patients to access high-quality medicine at lower prices with flexible payment terms through micro-payments. Mutti means medicine in Bemba, a Zambian language. They also operate in Nigeria, Zambia, and Cote D’Ivoire, targeting three main chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Impact Award Winner
Nigeria’s Tuteria connects people seeking to learn with people around them who can teach. Tuteria provides an online platform which allows users to find, evaluate, book and pay for lessons with qualified local tutors, coaches, instructors, and mentors.
