AWIEF 2026 Names Finalists for Africa’s Women Entrepreneurship Awards
AWIEF 2026 Names Finalists for Africa’s Women Entrepreneurship Awards. The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced the finalists for the 2026 AWIEF Awards, recognising women entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators from across the African continent.
Launched in 2017, the annual awards celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners for their achievements and contributions to inclusive economic growth and social development in Africa.
This year’s finalists were selected following a competitive nominations process and represent businesses and organisations operating across a range of sectors and African markets. The 2026 award categories have also been refined to reflect developments in Africa’s entrepreneurial and innovation landscape.
The Woman To Watch Award finalists are Omotoke Ajidagba of Nigeria, Faith Nafula of Kenya and Rowena Turinawe of Uganda.
The Agri Award finalists are Violet Awo Amoabeng of Ghana, Stella Doreen Namulondo of Uganda and Joyce Rugano of Kenya. The Impact For Good Award finalists include Ola Brown of Nigeria, Nada Ghammem of Tunisia and Echo Nomsa VanderWal of Eswatini.
South Africa is represented in the Creative Visionary Award category by Renuka Methil, managing editor of Forbes Africa. She is joined by Rasha Aita of Egypt and Hadeer Shalaby, also of Egypt.
The Tech Pioneer Award finalists are Varuna Devi Bangaleea of Mauritius, Ndeye Fatou Mboup of Senegal and Quinter Ochieng of Kenya.
The 2026 awards also introduce the Male Ally Award, which will recognise a male leader, founder, executive, policymaker or senior decision-maker whose actions have contributed to advancing women’s economic empowerment and sustained systemic change for women in Africa. The recipient will be announced at the awards ceremony.
The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award will also be revealed during the ceremony. The category honours a female leader whose leadership, entrepreneurship or public service has contributed significantly to Africa’s economic, social or institutional development.
The winners will be announced on 11 November 2026 during the AWIEF Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, as the closing event of the AWIEF 2026 Conference, taking place from 10 to 11 November.
