Tunisian-based Start-up Wins ATU ICT Competition

Tunisian-based Start-up Wins ATU ICT Competition

A Tunisia-based organisation, Startup Tunisia, has won the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Innovation Challenge 2021.

Startup Tunisia, which offers grants and provides technical guidance to startup innovators, has, in two years, supported 550 startups as well as startup support organisations through providing a supportive policy environment, investments and capacity building.

According to a statement, the firm claimed the $10,000 top prize and was conferred the, ‘2021 ATU Best Ecosystem Practice Enabling Youth ICT Innovation in Africa.’

The competition, launched by the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in partnership with Huawei, also saw Tanzania’s Coding Clubs, Mentorship and Incubation initiative by Apps and Girls, and the ICT Innovation Programme of Zambia’s ICT Authority emerging the second and third in the competition respectively, taking home $5,000 and $2,500.

The former has empowered over 34,686 girls with problem-solving and coding skills, improved their academic performance in ICT and other STEM-related subjects and led to 69 businesses being set-up. The latter has successfully commercialised 30+ Start-ups, created 100+ jobs and worked with 15+ local partners.

The event further recogniSed seven additional best practices by ecosystem stakeholders across Africa.

Announcing the winners in the virtual awards ceremony, ATU Secretary General Mr. John Omo affirmed the Union’s commitment to inspiring the creation of an ecosystem in Africa that supports the development of homegrown solutions to local challenges.

Speaking during the ceremony, Huawei’s President of Carrier Business Group, Huawei Southern Africa Region, Mr. Samuel Chen, called for “further investment in connectivity, power and mobile money infrastructure that innovators can use to develop their innovations and through which citizens can access them.”

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