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AWIEF 2025 Awards Honour Africa’s Leading Women Entrepreneurs

Prime Highlights

  • Eight women entrepreneurs were recognised for driving innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth across Africa.
  • The awards highlighted the impact and resilience of women-led ventures shaping the continent’s future.

Key Facts

  • Winners included Norah Kimathi (Kenya), Mampho Sotshongaye (South Africa), and Audrey Joe-Ezigbo (Nigeria), among others.
  • The event followed the two-day AWIEF 2025 Conference with 500+ delegates from 50+ countries.

Background

The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) honoured outstanding women entrepreneurs and leaders at the 2025 AWIEF Awards in Cape Town, South Africa. The event recognized women who are driving innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth across Africa.

Since its launch in 2016, the AWIEF Awards have become a major platform to honor women’s achievements in business and leadership. This year, the event honoured eight exceptional winners, highlighting the creativity and resilience of women-led ventures that are shaping Africa’s future.

Kenya’s Norah Kimathi of Zerobionic won the Young Entrepreneur Award, while Mampho Sotshongaye of Golden Rewards 1981 (South Africa) took home the Empowerment Award. The Energy Entrepreneur Award went to Nidal Tafah of MIRRIAH (Morocco), and Angola’s Soraya da Piedade of Soraya da Piedade LDA received the Creative Industry Award.

South Africa’s Farana Boodhram of MiDesk Global was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and Kenya’s Linda Davis, CEO of Giraffe Bioenergy, won the Agri Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by OCP Africa. Maryanne Gichanga of AgriTech Analytics (Kenya) earned the Tech Entrepreneur Award, while Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, CEO of Falcon Corporation (Nigeria), received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards followed the two-day AWIEF 2025 Conference, which brought together over 500 delegates from more than 50 countries for discussions, exhibitions, and networking sessions.

Kenya’s Linda Davis said the win was “surreal,” adding that AWIEF gave women “a space to connect, share, and be recognised.” Angola’s Soraya da Piedade said, “When we create from passion and purpose, we inspire others to dream bigger.”

The 2025 finalists represented women innovators from across Africa, highlighting the continent’s growing ecosystem of female-led entrepreneurship.

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