These are African Entrepreneurship Award finalists

The African Entrepreneurship Awards have selected their 37 finalists to take part in their Presidential Round which takes place on 2 December 2016 with winners being announced three days later.

The finalists will be converging on Morocco where they will be presenting their innovative businesses and ideas. Here, they will also be fielding questions in a private pitching session from those on the Presidential jury.

Some of the jury members include the chairman and president of BMCE Bank of Africa, Othman Benjelloun and retired chairman of Accenture in greater China, Gong Li.

The jury is also comprised of founder and executive director of Golden Baobab, Deborah Ahenkorah; CEO of AppsTech, Rebecca Enonchong as well as co-founder of Enterprise Futures Network JB Duler and co-founder of the Wharton Social Entrepreneurship Programme, James D. Thompson.

“We at BMCE Bank of Africa cultivate optimism in all circumstances and we make sure to spread it to all those who surround us, crafting universal and timeless values of entrepreneurs, builders and creators, dreamers and achievers,” said Benjelloun in a press release.

The African Entrepreneurship Awards celebrate some of the best and brightest startups in Africa

Before presenting their businesses to those in attendance, the finalists will be coached by both African and global business leaders during their bootcamp.

The winner of the $1-million prize will also be mentored with a customised plan to help them better launch and scale their business. The finalists are split into three groups, namely education, uncharted and environment, with the bulk of the 37 finalists found in uncharted.

Previous 2015 winner Habtamu Abafoge, is a bio-engineer from Ethiopia who developed a radiant warmer which eradicates hypothermia among newborn infants.

“After winning the 2015 Award, my Portable Infant Radiant Warmers have come closer to a becoming a reality in Ethiopia. I have founded a company, developed a network of partners and suppliers for materials, and turned my idea into a working prototype,” said Abafoge.

“I am now putting my prototype through clinical testing trials and am collecting feedback and preparing for broader production of my warmers. I am eager to soon build a product for the market,” he concluded.

Featured image: Martin Fisch via Flickr