The Call for Applications for the V2030 Awards closed on April 11. Over 170 companies participated in the online process. All applications were received on an online platform set up by the Kenya ICT Board that allowed applicants to create an account and fill out their application over time.
Of the companies that participated in the Call for Applications, 82 successfully completed the process. If applicants responded to all the questions, attached supporting documents and clicked on the final ‘submit’ button — their proposal is considered complete.
The Kenya ICT Board has convened a team of seven independent judges representing the ICT private sector, academia, public sector and civil society. The judges began their work on April 13 and will review each complete proposal against the criteria outlined in the call for applications. To ensure integrity in the process, Deloitte Consulting are auditing the review process.
The winners of the V2030 ICT Innovation Award will be announced on April 20 at the Connected Kenya Summit in Diani.
Some stats
Of the companies that participated in the applications process, 47% responded to the Education and Training sector. Water and Sanitation received no applicants, while Tourism received only three. Considering the important role tourism plays in the Kenyan economy, the results from the award competition show that the opportunities in tourism are yet to be tapped.
Gender
Only 11% of applicants are women. Women are generally under represented in the ICT sector. According to a survey carried out by the Kenya ICT Board in 2010, women make up about 15% of it’s stakeholders. The survey and results from the V2030 Awards indicate that there is a need to attract and retain more women in the ICT sector.
Age Group
As expected from an innovation competition, young applicants responded well to the Call for Applications; applicants under 35 years old made-up over 70% of respondents.
