Africa50 Innovation Challenge 2020
The first edition of the Africa50 Innovation Challenge called for solutions to improve last- mile connectivity to increase access to reliable and affordable internet in Africa. A worldwide search over five months yielded 673 proposals, with over 80% from Africa. The winning solution, Poa Internet from Kenya, received a cash prize of $100,000 and will be added to Africa50’s investment pipeline. Poa will be considered for an investment, subject to Africa50’s due diligence process and Poa’s fit with Africa50’s investment criteria. If an investment is approved, Africa50 will seek to launch a pilot program in Rwanda to test the solution’s business model in a rural context and demonstrate its viability to be scaled across the continent. The project would then be rolled-out in Rwanda as the pilot country, with the intention to scale up to other African countries.
