The Africa Tech Festival Awards 2025 held on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 in Cape Town honoured Africa’s trailblazers in technology and innovation, bringing together tech leaders, innovators, and changemakers from across the continent to celebrate excellence in digital transformation.
The awards recognised individuals and organisations driving meaningful impact across the African tech ecosystem. Finalists and winners were selected through a rigorous three-stage process, including a public vote and adjudication by an expert panel of judges representing leading voices in business, technology, and finance.
2025 Award Winners
• Connectivity for All: Orange
• AI Leader of the Year: Jean-Francois Arnod, CMO, Orange
• Telco of the Year: Vodacom
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• Innovation for Impact: Mastercard Community Pass
• CXO of the Year: Dejan Kastelic, CTO, Vodacom
• Changing Lives: SES & the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI)
• Female Innovator of the Year: Ms Ennaifer Asma, Senior VP CSR, Orange Middle East & Africa
• Fintech Innovation of the Year: Vodacom
• Startup of the Year: Booi Industries (Pty) Ltd
• Cybersecurity Leader of the Year: Tim Theuri, CISO, M-Pesa Africa
Expert Judging Panel
The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of industry experts, including:
• Vukosi Sambo, Group CIO, PHA STM Healthcare & Marara Group
• John Bosco Arends, Group Head: Information and Network Technology Operations, City of Johannesburg
• Sithembile Songo, Group Head: Information Security, Eskom Holdings
• Nina Triantis, Global Head Telecoms, Media and Technology, Standard Bank
• Bas Wijne, CEO, APO Group
• Bunmi Adeleye, Chief Strategy Officer, Retail Supermarkets Nigeria (Shoprite Nigeria)
• Robert Aouad, CEO, ISOCEL Telecom
The Africa Tech Festival 2025 ran from 11 to 13 November at the Cape Town International Conference Centre, providing a platform for Africa’s innovators to showcase breakthroughs, foster collaboration, and accelerate the continent’s digital growth agenda.