Etisalat Unveils Judging Panel for 2013 Pan-African Prize for Innovation Award
Nigeria’s most innovative
telecommunications company, Etisalat, recently unveiled the judging panel for
the second edition of its ‘Pan-African Prize for Innovation at a private dinner
reception held at the Milano Italian restaurant in the prestigious Intercontinental
Hotel, Lagos. The reception served as an avenue to acknowledge their commitment
to drive Etisalat’s vision of recognizing and celebrating innovation across the
African continent.
Judging
panel for this year’s edition include Senior Director of Business Development
and Managing Director, West Africa, Qualcomm, Mr. Alex Dadson, Head of
Developer Outreach in the Emerging Markets team, Google, Mr. Chukwuemeka
Afigbo, also on the list are: Mr.
Reinaldo Fiorini, Principal, McKinsey & Company and Mr. Simdul Shagaya, a serial technology and media
entrepreneur, and Founder/Executive Chairman of Dealdey
and Konga.
Others
include Mr. Tayo Oviosu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Paga, a leading
money transfer and payments service in Nigeria; Mr. Audu Maikori, Founder and
Chief Executive Officer of Chocolate City Group and Mr. Wilson Feng, Director
at Huawei.
According
to the Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher, the
Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation was founded on the premise of
rewarding the most innovative mobile broadband idea, product, or service that
provides a significant utility to mobile users. “There is an abundance of
innovative talent in technology residing in the continent. We believe in
showcasing these talents that not only create viable opportunities for
individuals but also improves the social and economic livelihood of people who
use these technologies,” he said.
The
Etisalat Pan-African Prize for Innovation will be awarded at the 16th Annual AfricaComConference
holding in Cape Town, South Africa, from the 12th to 14th of November 2013. Entries for the
award will be received in two sub-categories: 1st Prize for the most innovative product
or service that was launched in the last 18 months, and 2nd Prize for the most innovative idea
driving or facilitating mobile broadband use in Africa.
The
first prize winner will get a sum of $25,000, 3 Devices, a Business Development
Mentoring (in-House) programme, and a possible commercial partnership with
Etisalat while the second prize winner will receive a sum of $10,000, 3
Devices, Product Incubation Programme, Business Development Mentoring
(in-House) programme, access to network resources for testing, knowledge base,
as well as a pilot study and analysis via Etisalat’s customer base. The award is open to manufacturers
and customizers of handsets, dongles & modems, embedded Devices, tablets
and eReaders. Also eligible are
SMEs and individuals developing
innovative mobile broadband solutions
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