Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) – Seven social entrepreneurs were named Thursday Africa Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2014, at the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) taking place in Abuja, Nigeria.
The awards were conferred by Philipp Rösler, Managing Director, World Economic Forum.
The seven include Ashifi Gogo of Sproxil (Ghana, Nigeria and India), Martin Kariongi Ole Sanago (Institute for Orkonerei Pastoralists Advancement, IOPA), Tanzania), Patrick Awuah (Ashesi University, Ghana), Jay Kimmelman and Shannon May (Bridge International Academies, Kenya), Gbenga Sesan (Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Nigeria) and Allen Wilcox, Village Reach, Mozambique.
David Aikman, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum and Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, explained that “social entrepreneurs are an integral community of the World Economic Forum and an increasingly sought-after one, saying that a growing number of corporations see income inequality and environmental problems like climate change as fundamental threats to their long-term growth.
“Many governments are starting to rethink the way they deliver goods and services that improve social outcomes. I am confident this trend will only continue to grow in the future, and the Forum is proud to be at the forefront of catalysing partnerships among these stakeholder groups for social and environmental change.”
According to the organisers, Ashesi University, Ghana, was selected because it aims to make significant contribution to transform Africa by educating a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders.
For Ashifi Gogo, it developed and trademarked Sproixil as a Mobile Product Authentication (MPA) solution that enables consumers to verify that the pharmaceutical product they are buying is genuine. It has also set up Africa’s first national, mobile-based anti-counterfeit service in Nigeria and has already sold more than 250 million anti-counterfeit labels.
Martin Kariongi Ole Sanago of Institute for Orkonerei Pastoralists Advancement (IOPA), Tanzania, is into facilitating transformation and diversification of the economic system of the Maasai through social business, social entrepreneurship and innovation.
Jay Kimmelman and Shannon May established Bridge International Academies, Kenya, and established it into a chain of nursery and private schools in Africa delivering high-quality education for just US$5 a month on average. As of January 2014, Bridge operates 259 academies in Kenya, employing over 3,000 people and educating approximately 80,000 pupils.
By 2025, Bridge plans to be educating 10,000,000 pupils in over a dozen countries.
For Gbenga Sesan, he established the Paradigm Initiative (PIN) with a vision to connect underserved young Nigerians with ICT-enabled opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
Allen Wilcox developed the Village Reach, Mozambique, as a non‐profit social enterprise with a mission to save lives and improve health by increasing access to quality healthcare for the most underserved communities.
