Here are the winners of the Internet.org Innovation Challenge in Africa

Internet.org by Facebook has announced the winners of the Internet.org Innovation Challenge in Africa awards. Launched in December 2015, the competition was launched with the aim of recognising developers and entrepreneurs who are using the internet to improve the standard of education and economic health in their communities.

The awards are

• two $150,000 USD Innovation Challenge award prizes: one each to the leading app, website, service or idea that best meets the needs of the designated population categories – Education and Economic Empowerment, and
• four additional $50,000 USD Impact awards within each category.

Each Innovation Challenge Award winner will also receive a package of tools and services worth up to $60,000 from Facebook’s FbStart program .

The winners are as follows:

Education

Innovation Challenge Award Winner – (Ghana) Esoko makes it easier for businesses, governments, NGOs and others to connect with farmers.

Impact Award Winner – (Ghana) mPedigree Goldkeys from Ghana is an anti-counterfeiting, tracking and tracing solution that uses consumers’ mobile phones as a verification tool.

Impact Award Winner – (Nigeria) SaferMom provides pregnant and new mothers with simple tools to help make informed health decisions via sms, voice services and its mobile app.

Economic Empowerment

Innovation Challenge Award Winner – (South Africa) Hyperion Development is a social enterprise that has built the first online course platform for computer science education supported by the largest online community of software developers in Africa.

Impact Award Winner – (Ghana)  is a drug affordability service that enables patients to access high quality medicine at lower prices with flexible payment terms through micro-payments.

Impact Award Winner – (Nigeria) Tuteria connects people seeking to learn with people around them who can teach.

The judges for the challenge were:

• Ike Eze, Head, PocketMoni and Executive Director, Strategy and Corporate Development, eTranzact
• Ime Archibong, Director of Product Partnerships, Facebook
• Rob LeBlanc, Chief Investment Officer, The Amethu Project
• Terryanne Chebet, Founder, Keyara Organics