Meet The Finalists: Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards 2026

The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2026 AWIEF Awards.

Launched in 2017, the prestigious annual AWIEF Awards is an initiative to recognize, honour, and celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners in Africa across various industry sectors for their achievements and contributions to the continent’s inclusive economic growth and social development.

Following a highly competitive nominations process, this year’s finalists represent a diverse range of sectors and African markets, reflecting the breadth of talent, innovation, and impact emerging across the continent.

The 2026 Awards categories have been refined to reflect the evolving entrepreneurial and innovation landscape in Africa, with categories recognising emerging leaders, technology pioneers, agricultural innovators, creative visionaries, and women driving measurable impact.

This year also sees the introduction of the Male Ally Award, to recognise a male leader, founder, executive, policymaker, or senior decision-maker whose leadership and actions have contributed meaningfully to advancing women’s economic empowerment and creating sustained, systemic change for women in Africa.

The finalists for the 2026 AWIEF Awards are (listed in alphabetical order):

WOMAN TO WATCH AWARD

Omotoke Ajidagba – Co-founder & COO, 10mg Health, Nigeria
Faith Nafula – Founder & CEO, Solar Spark Energy, Kenya
Rowena Turinawe – Founding CEO, Ruka Pay, Uganda

AGRI AWARD

Violet Awo Amoabeng – Founder & CEO, Skin Gourmet, Ghana
Stella Doreen Namulondo – Co-founder & COO, Essymart Africa Business Link, Uganda
Joyce Rugano – CEO, Ecorich Solutions, Kenya

IMPACT FOR GOOD AWARD

Ola Brown – General Partner, HealthCap Africa, Nigeria
Nada Ghammem – Co-Founder & CEO, Bionic Soul, Tunisia
Echo Nomsa VanderWal – Executive Director, The Luke Commission, Eswatini

CREATIVE VISIONARY AWARD

Rasha Aita – Managing Director, SMACRS LLC, Egypt
Renuka Methil – Managing Editor, Forbes Africa, South Africa
Hadeer Shalaby – Co-Founder & CEO, Freeziana, Egypt

TECH PIONEER AWARD

Varuna Devi Bangaleea – Group CEO, nVisionIT, Mauritius
Ndeye Fatou Mboup – CEO, The Smart Granary, Senegal
Quinter Ochieng – Founder & CEO, Chargebyte Africa, Kenya

MALE ALLY AWARD

The 2026 recipient for this award category will be announced at the AWIEF Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Lifetime Achievement Award honours a visionary female leader whose decades of leadership, entrepreneurship, or public service have contributed significantly to Africa’s economic, social, or institutional development and helped pave the way for future generations of women leaders.

The 2026 recipient for this award category will be announced at the AWIEF Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

Winners to Be Announced at AWIEF 2026 Conference

The 2026 AWIEF Awards winners will be revealed at the prestigious awards ceremony and gala dinner on 11 November 2026, taking place as the grand finale of the AWIEF 2026 Conference.

The conference will take place from 10 to 11 November 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa, bringing together women entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, policymakers, development partners, and other entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem stakeholders from across Africa and beyond.

The Awards Gala will be an opportunity to celebrate this year’s finalists and winners while recognising the women and allies helping to shape a more inclusive and prosperous economic future for Africa.

Tickets for the AWIEF 2026 Conference and Awards are available online here

For more information and media enquiries, email: [email protected]

BellaNaija is a Media Partner for AWIEF AWARDS