Five Google Africa Connected winners announcedThe five winners of Google's Africa Connected competition, which called entrepreneurs, creatives, innovators and web-lovers to share stories of how the web has transformed their lives and work, was announced at an event held in Nairobi. The winners were selected from over 2,200 entries from 35 countries, by a panel of judges as well as public voters. The winners will receive US$25,000 (ZAR 260,000) each, and will also have the opportunity to work with a Google sponsor over a six-month period to further their online success. "There are over 1 billion people living in sub-Saharan Africa and currently 16% of them are online. With Africa Connected, we wanted to celebrate how the web is changing lives in Africa, and show how it is contributing to the socio-economic development of the continent. Selecting the shortlist was no easy task: each winner shares a unique perspective of how they have used the internet to solve a problem, earn a living, or create opportunities, not just for themselves, but also for others around them", says Affiong Osuchukwu, Google Lead for the Africa Connected initiative. Winners:
Namirembe says "The web has helped me and the other Africa Connected winners to solve pressing problems as well as earn a living. I'm so excited to be making a contribution to my community and I'm looking forward to doing more online!" Wafula says, "Right now I feel humbled and honoured that mental health and epilepsy - which are considered taboo topics - have been put on the same platform as some very innovative projects. I can't believe that doing what comes so naturally to me, to help raise awareness about mental health, would be recognised by a company like Google, and be such an inspiration to others." "Many more powerful, inspiring stories"Google's Affiong Oschukwu adds, "Even though there are only five winners of the contest, there are many more powerful and inspiring stories out there. To start, there are 21 other inspiring success stories already hosted on the Africa Connected website; www.africaconnected.com. We encourage you to watch and learn from them". In an effort to invest in the future success of all the finalists, Google also surprised the remaining five success stories by awarding them US$10,000 each to help grow their ventures and initiatives for greater social and economic impact. Recipients included; Tim McGuire (South Africa), Nqobizitha Mlilo (Zimbabwe), Mayowa Adegbile (Nigeria), Lamine Mbengue (Senegal) and Steve Kyenze (Kenya). |