Africa Tech Week Awards 2024: The Continent’s Brightest Innovators Honoured at Century City

The Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town played host on the evening of 16 May 2024 to one of the continent’s most prestigious technology recognition events, the 6th Annual Africa Tech Week Awards. Organised by Topco Media and presided over by Chief Executive Officer Ralf Fletcher, the ceremony brought together Africa’s most distinguished founders, corporate technology leaders, investors, and policymakers to celebrate excellence across twelve award categories.

The Africa Tech Week Awards have, over six editions, grown into a defining barometer of innovation across the continent. This year’s cohort of winners represented the breadth of Africa’s technology ecosystem  spanning artificial intelligence, financial technology, digital transformation, education technology, e-commerce, and public sector digitalisation.

Clay Tsapi, project manager at Topco Media, opened the evening with a call to unity among Africa’s technology community. “Innovation and collaboration are the cornerstones of progress,” Tsapi told the assembled guests. “Tonight, we have a unique opportunity to unite and ignite the flames of inspiration, paving the way for a future filled with innovation, progress, and prosperity.”

Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, Director-General for the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, delivered the keynote address, urging Africa’s technology innovators to register and retain their intellectual property on the continent. “Tonight is about celebrating excellence; celebrating African excellence,” she said. “Make sure that we keep that talent within the continent. If anything, please make sure that you register your IP and own it.” Her remarks underscored a growing awareness among policymakers of the need to anchor Africa’s digital talent and innovation domestically rather than ceding it to global markets.

Beverly Basson, lead journey designer and facilitator at Level Up, who served on the judging panel, praised the quality of this year’s entrants. “There is wonderful evidence of good growth in so many of the businesses that I had a chance to look at,” Basson noted. “I think that growth wouldn’t be possible without a strong sense of optimism and huge ambition. I think that’s really encouraging.”

Individual Award Highlights

Among the standout individual recognitions of the evening was the Africa Tech: Digital Tech Founder Award, presented to Seun Paul Olatunji of MediAID Plus & Efiko NG in recognition of his exceptional contributions to digital technology entrepreneurship across Africa. The award recognises founders who have demonstrated notable achievement in digital technology entrepreneurship.

The Africa Tech: Tech Founder Award was presented to Jonathan Elcock of Rather.Chat, with Riaz Moola of HyperionDev highly commended. The Africa Tech: Women in Tech Award was claimed by Rashika Ramlal of Amazon Web Services, with Susi Astengo of Coach Matching highly commended. The Africa Tech: Leader of the Year honour went to Carel du Toit of Mint Group, with Julius Segole of Boxfusion highly commended.

Full List of 2024 Winners

• Africa Tech: Digital Tech Founder Award — Seun Paul Olatunji (MediAID Plus & Efiko NG)
• Africa Tech: Tech Founder Award — Jonathan Elcock (Rather.Chat)
• Africa Tech: Women in Tech Award — Rashika Ramlal (Amazon Web Services)
• Africa Tech: Leader of the Year — Carel du Toit (Mint Group)
• Africa Tech: AI Technology of the Year — Swordfish Software
• Africa Tech: Innovation of the Year — Jumo
• Africa Tech: Fintech of the Year — Easy Debit
• Africa Tech: Digital Transformation Award — Absa Bank Limited
• Africa Tech: Technology Company of the Year — Nutun Management Services (Pty) Ltd
• Africa Tech: Edtech Award — Sand Technologies
• Africa Tech: Startup Award (sponsored by Sentech) — ECD Connect
• Africa Tech: Retail & E-Commerce Award — Loot.co.za
• Africa Tech: Public Sector Digital Innovation Award — Revenue & Utility Management Solutions (t/a Rumas)

Presenting the awards on the evening, Ralf Fletcher, CEO of Topco Media, reflected on the calibre of this year’s honourees. “I am delighted to announce the winners and highly commended of the 6th Annual Africa Tech Week Awards. These exceptional individuals and organisations have demonstrated exemplary vision, leadership, and innovation, setting a benchmark for excellence in the tech industry.”

The ceremony also underscored the continent’s appetite for homegrown artificial intelligence solutions, with Swordfish Software claiming the AI Technology of the Year Award; a category that attracted particular attention given growing global interest in Africa’s AI capabilities. In the fintech space, Easy Debit took home the Fintech of the Year Award, while Absa Bank Limited was recognised for Digital Transformation, reflecting the banking sector’s accelerating shift towards digital-first service delivery across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa Tech Week, produced by Topco Media, has operated for over two decades as a platform convening the continent’s technology leaders. The annual awards ceremony remains a flagship moment in Africa’s technology calendar, providing independent, panel-judged recognition for the founders, companies, and initiatives advancing Africa’s standing in the global digital economy.

All award categories and winners as confirmed by Topco Media and the Africa Tech Week Awards 2024 official records. The ceremony was held on 16 May 2024 at the Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.