Two Kenyan Startups have been selected among finalists and semi-finalists in the ongoing (Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Caravan Prize competition.
Tekizo Africa Limited and NANASI were chosen from a pool of 1,500 enterprises across the continent.
Tekizo Africa Limited run by Dennis Onkangi Onkundi emerged number eight among the top 10 finalists.
The Mombasa-based enterprise manufactures and distributes solar-powered chillers (Kuza Freezer) to small-scale fishermen, offering them sustainable cooling services during and after fishing aimed at reducing post-harvest fish losses and improving food security.
NANASI by Alex Mativo, took the second position out of 10 semi-finalists. Nanasi is an operating system for restaurants and retail businesses in Africa.
The system offers an all-in-one platform for restaurants and retail businesses to unify their sales and engagement channels, manage core daily operations, and grow with intelligent insights.
The AfCFTA Caravan Initiative which itself is a flagship of the broader African Union-led 4D Initiative features a platform www.afcfta.app that aims to boost small enterprises and startups in Africa by providing extensive soft infrastructure to help them expand beyond their home countries.
The AfCFTA Caravan Prize is a component of the wider Initiative and targets a select few of the supported enterprises with more intensive support and some cash grants.
AfCFTA secretariat and its partners on the 4D, ProPer, and Caravan Initiatives, AfroChampions, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA) announced the finalists and semi-finalists.
“ The AfCFTA Caravan Initiative itself is designed to eventually offer more than the token cash grants and recognition that winners of the prize received. In conjunction with the other elements of the 4D Agenda, it provides a toolkit for startups and SMEs to flourish in a more connected ecosystem,” Caravan Prize Committee said.
The Caravan Prize Committee added that:
“ Through bespoke digital platforms and targeted policy interventions, Governments, corporates, financial institutions, and standards organisations are able to coordinate their SME and startup programs across multiple countries to create corridors for trade, commerce, and investment throughout Africa. By doing so, more advanced regional value chains are built, and greener, cleaner, increasingly higher-skilled jobs are created. The gains are reinforced by supporting initiatives like ProPer, which guarantees quality in these supply chains, and Nefertiti, a specialised intellectual property and creative economy program.”
The criteria for selecting finalists and semi-finalists was based on an organisation and its founder's ability to conceive and implement models, concepts, plans, products, and/or services that, at scale, can contribute to the objectives of AfCFTA and the broader Agenda 2063 of the African Union, of which AfCFTA is a flagship.
The finalists and semi-finalists were selected by jurors with a rich background in the development and economic transformation sectors.
“If there is one hope that animates everything we do as a Secretariat, it is that AfCFTA must become the most inclusive and most digital Free Trade Area and Process in the World. By focusing on SMEs, digital innovation, gender, and equitable transformation, the AfCFTA Caravan Prize will serve as a continental beacon for Agenda 2063,” AfCFTA secretary general Wamkele Mene said.
