AWIEF awards 2025 finalists: Honoring the power of women driving innovation, equality, and green growth across Africa
The Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced the finalists for its 2025 AWIEF Awards, a celebration of the remarkable women who are redefining entrepreneurship and sustainability across the continent. More than an annual awards ceremony, AWIEF has become a movement that champions the role of women in building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economies in Africa.
Each year, the awards bring together inspiring stories of women whose businesses are not only commercially successful but also deeply rooted in social impact and environmental stewardship. “The AWIEF Awards are a powerful platform to honour women whose innovation, resilience, and leadership are shaping the future of Africa,” explained Irene Ochem, Founder and CEO of AWIEF. “Our 2025 finalists embody the transformative role women entrepreneurs play in creating a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous Africa.”
This year’s finalists were drawn from a highly competitive pool of nominees, reflecting the growing vibrancy of women-led businesses across the continent. From technology-driven startups in East Africa to renewable energy pioneers in Southern Africa, from social enterprises in West Africa to creative industry leaders in North and Central Africa, the finalists represent the dynamism and ingenuity of African women at the forefront of change.
Among the young entrepreneurs shortlisted are innovators from Kenya, Togo, and Nigeria, each of whom has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build enterprises that blend creativity with sustainability. In the category dedicated to empowerment, women from Kenya, Somalia, and South Africa are being recognized for initiatives that uplift communities, create pathways to education and employment, and tackle long-standing inequalities.
Read also: Ghana pitches $4bn agribusiness opportunities at Dakar forum to cut imports and create jobs
The field of energy entrepreneurship, crucial to Africa’s green transition, is represented by women from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Morocco who are harnessing renewable energy technologies and sustainable business models to expand access to power. The creative industry award, meanwhile, shines a light on the continent’s burgeoning fashion, beauty, and arts sector, with finalists from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Angola who are using design and innovation to celebrate African identity while building globally competitive brands.
Social entrepreneurs from South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda are also being honoured for their work in addressing deep-rooted challenges such as poverty, healthcare access, and social exclusion. In agriculture, which remains the backbone of Africa’s economy, finalists from Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe are reimagining farming through climate-smart practices, food security innovations, and agribusiness ventures that create livelihoods for smallholder farmers and rural communities.
Technology, a critical driver of Africa’s future, is represented by finalists from Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana. Their ventures demonstrate how women are building digital platforms, applications, and solutions that close opportunity gaps, expand access to services, and accelerate the continent’s digital transformation.
What makes these awards particularly significant is their connection to Africa’s sustainability agenda. The finalists are not just business leaders; they are changemakers confronting some of the continent’s most urgent challenges. From climate resilience to renewable energy, from social equity to digital inclusion, these women embody the spirit of innovation required to realize both the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Their stories highlight how women’s entrepreneurship is indispensable to achieving a balance between economic growth, environmental protection, and social development.
The winners of the AWIEF Awards 2025 will be announced at a gala dinner during the AWIEF Conference, Exhibition and Awards, taking place on 30–31 October 2025 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. The event will convene policymakers, investors, development partners, and business leaders from across Africa and beyond, creating a space where ideas and opportunities converge in pursuit of a more sustainable future for the continent.
The 2025 cohort of finalists reminds us that Africa’s most valuable resource lies not only in its natural wealth but in its people, especially women whose innovation, resilience, and leadership continue to shape the trajectory of the continent. By celebrating their achievements, the AWIEF Awards reaffirm the truth that when women thrive, communities prosper, and the vision of a sustainable Africa comes closer to reality.
Source link
