Johannesburg - South African entrepreneur Nneile Nkholise on Wednesday won the Africa Top Women Innovators Challenge 2016 at the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda.
Nkholise is the founder of Bloemfontein-based iMED Tech Group, a company that uses additive manufacturing to design breast and facial prostheses for cancer and burn victims.
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iMED Tech Group prides itself on only employing African women under the age of 30 and with research backgrounds in mechanical engineering.
Nkholise was among five winners from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda who were selected from the Forum's challenge to find Africa's top women’s innovation, WEF said in a statement.
WEF said the innovations were in the areas of mobile health insurance, solar-powered vending carts, biomedical materials, IT training and food processing.
The Head of Africa at the WEF, Elsie Kanza, said she strongly believed that the 21st Century would be Africa's century.
“The young population has the potential to build a world where they are not only materially better off, but also where things are fairer, more sustainable and more tolerant than at any other time in history. But this will not be achieved unless women are able to make a full contribution. This is why we are showcasing Africa's best female entrepreneurs in Kigali this week,” Kanza said.
The criteria for the challenge required entrants' companies to be less than three years old, be earning revenue for at least a year and have proven innovation and positive social impact.
A shortlist of winners was selected from a panel comprising experts from across Forum stakeholder groups.
The winners were invited to the WEF on Africa in Kigali, where they would meet other social entrepreneurs and impact investors, and take part in conversations relevant to their expertise and interests.
More than 1 200 participants from over 70 countries are currently taking part in the WEF on Africa, from Wednesday to Friday, under the theme “Connecting Africa's Resources Through Digital Transformation”.
ANA