Institutions in the public and private sectors that recently rolled out innovative solutions will be voted and awarded at this year’s Hanga Pitchfest to be held at BK Arena on 10 December 2022 under a new initiative called Hanga Innovation Awards.
The awards will be in two categories: Hanga Corporate Innovation Awards and Hanga Public Innovation Awards.
First held last year, Hanga Pitchfest is an annual showcase of technology companies and creative talent, designed to ignite and inspire innovation to solve local and global challenges. It is co-organised by the Rwanda Development Board, Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and UNDP Rwanda.
The Hanga Corporate and Public Innovation Awards are intended to recognise corporate and public institutions that have demonstrated exceptional innovation in their work since the year 2020 by providing convenient services to their stakeholders.
Speaking on the Public and Corporate Innovation Awards, the Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Musoni said:
“Innovation in Rwanda’s corporate and public sectors is paramount to enabling the country achieve its ambitions of becoming a Pan-African innovation hub. Through these awards, we are recognising institutions that are leveraging ICT to improve their organisational performance, adapt to changing consumer and citizen needs, and unlock fresh talent and perspectives. We want to create a thriving innovation ecosystem in which any Rwandan can come up with solutions for our day-to-day challenges.”
Nominations are currently ongoing and shortlisted organisations will be voted by the public based on key criteria including impact and reach of the innovation, use of frontier technology, use of local content, and the level of disruption, among others.
Regarding the ongoing competition for start-ups, the competition received 351 applications. Shortlisting of the top 25 firms who will join a preparation boot camp is underway, leading up to the selection of the top 5 start-ups that will be awarded during the main event in December.
Last year, Afruduino Ltd, Second Life Storage, Afri-Farmers Market Ltd, BAG Innovation, and Karisimbi Tech Solutions emerged as the top 5 firms out of more than 200 applications. In addition, the top 45 start-ups received additional business development services support and grant funding.
About Hanga Pitchfest
The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of ICT and Innovation and Rwanda Development Board, together with UNDP Rwanda are organising Hanga Pitchfest 2022, a unique platform for tech-entrepreneurs and creative talents from all over the country to showcase and promote the use of technology and innovation in solving today’s global challenges. (End)