The Financial Times (FT) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which houses the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, announced the winners of the inaugural Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, a major program promoting ground-breaking, long-term solutions to development challenges in Africa.
The awards recognized innovative and financially viable projects and initiatives that provide transformative solutions to some of the biggest development issues facing the continent today. The focus in this first year was on solutions that can provide access to clean energy and digital connectivity and ensure that urban infrastructure and natural ecosystems remain resilient to climate change. The program also highlighted the importance of gender equality and inclusion in boosting development.
A total of 211 entries were received, of which 22 were short-listed across five core categories. The awards were presented at a dinner in London on Oct. 30 at the conclusion of the FT’s two-day Africa Summit, a major event bringing together African governments, businesses and finance leaders. The Summit included an Innovation Showcase, highlighting exciting new ideas that did not meet the eligibility criteria for the core categories but have the potential for transformative impact.
Full list of winners and highly commended projects:
Financing Access to Clean Energy
Winner: Sun King securitization for “pay-as-you-go” solar business, Kenya
Highly Commended: Nithio climate fintech platform, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda
Resilient Infrastructure
Winner: Spiro Pan-African Smart Energy Ecosystem, multi-country
Highly Commended: Lagos Free Zone, Nigeria
Biodiversity and Ecosystems Protection
Winner: African Wildlife Foundation biodiversity economies initiative, multi-country
Highly Commended: Enimiro supply chain traceability for farmers, Uganda
Gender Equality and Inclusion
Winner: Arise Garment Training Centre, Benin and Togo
Highly Commended: Ladybird Logistics female driver program, Ghana
Digital Infrastructure
Winner: Intelsat satellite broadband, Burkina Faso
Overall Award: Judges’ Award for Excellence
Winner: Sun King securitization for “pay-as-you-go” solar business, Kenya
Innovation Showcase
Judges’ Winner and Audience Winner: Bridges to Prosperity – Africa’s unmapped rivers, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia