Of the 11,949 entries, Southern Africa accounted for 28%, the highest among the five regions (Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, and Southern Africa). This year, Southern Africa led for the first time, with a 65% increase in entries compared to last year, proving to be the most competitive region.

The following five countries are represented among the Southern regional winners: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and Angola.

Key Southern African highlights for 2024 include:

• The top three categories are: Fintech, Greentech and Healthtech
• New pioneering technologies coming to the market in the Greentech and Healthtech categories.
• Of the 14 Southern Africa winners South Africa leads with 10 finalists, followed by winners from Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.
• The top SDGs the startups are solving for are SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 4 (Quality Education).
• Startup development phases: ideation (1.7%), pre-seed (33%), seed (31%), growth (32.3%), and maturity and exit (2%)

The 14 Southern African winners were announced and celebrated yesterday [Thursday 18th of July] in Cape Town at UVU Africa our country partner. To view visit here.

“How exciting it is to witness the vibrancy of Africa’s tech scene through the Global Startup Awards. It is a special honour to see that 10 of my fellow South Africans – eight of them from my hometown of Cape Town – are among the 14 winners of this year’s awards. The City of Cape Town proudly supports the development of our local tech scene as evidenced by our funding of UVU Africa, one of the most prolific tech incubators on the continent. Congratulations to every single winner and I look forward to seeing the great things you will continue to do for communities across Africa,” said Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.

The Northern, Eastern, Western and Central regional winners were all announced this week and can be viewed here. These exceptional startups, representing 22 African nations, will compete at the regional level, with the African finalists to be crowned in October at the GSA Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – GSA Africa’s host nation for 2024.

A historic public voting turnout saw 215,210 people casting their votes to determine the winners, alongside a panel of expert judges who evaluated the entries. The panel of jury members consists of internationally renowned sector-focused industry leaders, ecosystem enablers, and influential individuals from across Africa in the tech innovation space.

“African entrepreneurs are paving the way for the continent’s future, and this year’s competition has highlighted this brilliantly. The diversity in business ambitions is impressive, and beyond agritech, education, and fintech solutions, sectors like pharmacy, eMobility, and aerospace are starting to play a stronger role. These startups are making significant impacts in their communities, countries, regions, and beyond,” noted Jury member Guido Schwartz, Foundation for Space Development Africa.

Key Trends Noted from the 2024 Global Startup Awards Africa Season:

From an impressive 11,949 entries – a 44% increase since 2023 – spanning 52 African countries, the startups represented various development phases: ideation (3.4%), pre-seed (28.7%), seed (34%), growth (30.6%), and maturity and exit (3.6%). To date, 27,814 startups have participated in GSA Africa.

• Mobility and Logistics: As rural-urban migration intensifies and the population is projected to double by 2050, the demand for reliable and inclusive mobility and logistics solutions is expected to grow significantly. Unsurprisingly entries in this category have risen from 11% in 2023 to 19% in 2024 and include solutions for mass transport as well as digital logistics coordination platforms.
• Green Tech: Since the inaugural GSA Africa in 2021, solutions aligned with SDG 13 (Climate Action) have tripled. This category saw a 14% representation in entries, with 77% of the Greentech startups planning to join the carbon market within the next 12-24 months. Winning startups include the Global South’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) company,
• Agriculture: Accounting for 15% of total entries, this category showcased innovations like micro-financing and AI solutions for smallholder farmers, alongside a startup revolutionizing the biomaterials industry by harnessing the power of bioengineering to convert agricultural waste into sustainable, carbon-neutral polymers
• Health Tech: With 12% of entries, this category saw significant growth in telehealth solutions, pharmaceutical supply chain innovations, last-mile delivery solutions, and specialized health prevention technologies. 70% of the health tech entries fall into digital health, AI, and machine learning, with medical devices and mental health technologies comprising the rest.“

The health sector innovations were truly inspiring. The applicants showcased groundbreaking solutions with the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery in the region. It was encouraging to witness the convergence of technology and healthcare, paving the way for improved health outcomes and sustainable development,” noted Jury member Farai Chirongoma, UNDP.

• Fintech: Representing 27% of all entries, this year saw a diverse range of fintech solutions including digital currencies, digital-only banks, banking-as-a-service (BaaS), payments, ecommerce, and automation. For the first time, the competition has fintech finalists from Sudan and Morocco and a unique commerce solution for a mobile world.
• Youth: Featuring 10% of entries from founders under 26, this demographic’s entrepreneurial spirit fosters the growth of new industries and sectors, thereby mitigating economic vulnerability through economic diversification. Winning solutions include the first electronically financed trade platform for medical consumables and supplies, a community mobilization initiative promoting holistic health, innovation, and self-reliance, a technology startup focused on sustainable drone production and automation and a gamified English learning platform aimed at improving children’s reading literacy across Africa.
• Women in Tech: This category saw a 34% increase in entries since 2023, celebrating solutions and initiatives dedicated to closing the gender gap and empowering women to embrace technology.

Loop, Startup of the Year, SA Regional winner

The winners then progress to the global stage to present their groundbreaking innovations in 2025.

Kim Balle, Co-Founder of The Global Startup Awards, shares: “Startups from the African Startup Awards have shown tremendous development, solving problems with solutions applicable beyond Africa. The startup world is transitioning, with decreasing entry barriers to knowledge, capital, and technology mastery. African startups are now technically advanced and built to scale, especially in sectors addressing global issues. I am confident we will see unicorns among the GSA Africa alumni winners soon.”

Regional winners will have the opportunity to engage with the GIIG Africa Fund, known for balancing tech innovation’s commercial success with social impact. By investing in profitable and socially responsible solutions, GIIG ensures startups contribute to broader societal benefits.

“GIIG’s long-term vision is to create sustainable businesses with a positive impact, fostering innovation-driven economies and positioning Africa as a leader in addressing global challenges through innovative solutions,” remarked Jo Griffiths, co-founder of GIIG and GSA Africa. “We nurture interconnected communities through trust, expertise, and networks, promoting cross-border collaboration and market access to drive systemic transformation and sustainable development across the continent”.

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The 2022/23 season attracted 8,272 entries from all 54 African states, resulting in 71 regional winners being named across the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Africa competitions.

Launched in 2021, GSA Africa is a platform dedicated to showcasing and scaling Africa’s most promising startups. This year’s competition focused on solutions in agriculture, climate change, commerce, education, healthcare, and mobility & logistics, with particular interest in startups championing Web3.0 technologies, sustainable business models, green innovation, and diversity in the workplace.

The competition saw entrants first compete at a national level before vying for their spot as a regional finalist. Winners were then decided by an independent panel of judges, offering a wholistic view of the African tech-ecosystem.

In the Northern Africa competition, thirteen startups from Egypt were named winners, followed by finalists from Morocco and Tunisia. Similar results were seen in Southern Africa, where South African startups secured eleven awards, while the remaining titles went to entrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia.

Meanwhile, Eastern Africa saw Kenyan startups walk away with seven titles, as those from Uganda secured three, Ethiopia with two, and startups from Mauritius, Rwanda, and Tanzania also claiming awards. In Western Africa, Nigerian startups scooped up six awards, followed by three winners from Ghana. Additional winners came from Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Senegal, and Benin.

Central African startups had a strong presence this year, with innovators from Cameroon earning five titles and those from the Democratic Republic of Congo winning four. Winners from the Congo and Gabon were also recognised.

All 71 regional winners will now advance to the Continental Finals of the GSA Africa competition, where they will compete to be crowned an African winner. This final group of startups will join the GSA Grand Finale where they will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions alongside some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and ecosystem enablers.

African winners will have the exclusive opportunity to engage with the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), the competition’s dedicated investment partner. Through its GIIG Africa Fund and the GIIG Africa Foundation, the organisation aims to find, fund and grow globally relevant African innovation.

The announcement took place at the launch edition of GITEX Africa 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco, this week.

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