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 recognise, honour, and celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners in Africa across various industry sectors for their achievements and contribution 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 and COO, 10mg Health, Nigeria
Faith Nafula – Founder and CEO, Solar Spark Energy, Kenya
Rowena Turinawe – Founding CEO, Ruka Pay, Uganda
Agri Award
Violet Awo Amoabeng – Founder and CEO, Skin Gourmet, Ghana
Stella Doreen Namulondo – Co-founder and 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 and 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 and CEO, Freeziana, Egypt
Tech Pioneer Award
Varuna Devi Bangaleea – Group CEO, nVisionIT, Mauritius
Ndeye Fatou Mboup – CEO, The Smart Granary, Senegal
Quinter Ochieng – Founder and 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 at: https://www.awieforum.org/purchase-conference-tickets/#tickets.
For more information and media enquiries, email: gro.murofeiwa@ofni.
