Ten finalists selected for African Drone Forum

As preparations for the African Drone Forum which is to hold in Kigali, Rwanda from February 5-7, 2020 intensifies; the African Drone Business Challenge finalists have been announced.

The ten African start-ups were selected as finalists in the first African Drone Business Challenge.

The finalists represent nine African countries namely Nigeria, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

According to the organisers of the African Drone Forum, the ten finalists would compete for a share of £40,000 in prize money and they would participate in a live pitch and award ceremony on Thursday, 6th of February at the African Drone Forum in Kigali.

An official statement by the organisers stated that the first African Drone Business Challenge a business plan competition for African entrepreneurs to uncover new commercial use cases for drone applications that demonstrate a high potential for local impact.

The ten finalists were selected from a competitive pool of almost one hundred and fifty submissions from across thirty-one African countries. Applicants were asked to provide business concepts that focused on leveraging drone technology to generate new business opportunities.

Proposals were evaluated by a panel of local and international judges and scored based on several factors including: potential for growth and sustainability, focus on using drones for social good, and the economic empowerment of African communities.

In alignment with industry trends, a majority of the proposals were from early-stage start-ups in their first year of operation and concentrated in the mining, agriculture and healthcare sectors.

The ten finalists will attend the African Drone Forum in Kigali in February and will participate in a two-day pitch bootcamp facilitated by Carnegie Mellon University Africa, along with exhibition space and networking opportunities. During the ADF Pitch and Award Ceremony, each Start up team will present their business ideas to a panel of judges and conference delegates.

The ten finalists are namely; Drone Era (Benin); Africa Bees (Democratic Republic of Congo); Kenya Flying Labs (Kenya); MicroMek Limited (Malawi); Global Air Drone Academy (Nigeria/USA); Upshore Robotics (Nigeria); Integrated Aerial Systems (South Africa); Jembe Kilimo (Tanzania); JCKEG Solutions (Zambia) and Alley Capital Group from Zimbabwe.