Winners of the Digital Lab Africa pitch competition announced

Digital Lab Africa (DLA), a springboard and incubation platform for African creatives in digital content, has announced the 10 winning projects of this year’s edition of the DLA accelerator programme.

Initiated by the Embassy of France and French Institute in South Africa (IFAS), DLA is managed by the South African technology hub Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, with support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

From among 500 applications from over 30 Sub-Saharan countries, 10 creatives from countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mali and Ghana were selected. These individuals stood out in the selection committee interviews based on their talent, creativity and ability to motivate their ideas.

Each of the 10 winners receive a R42,000 cash prize and a tailored-made incubation programme to accelerate their project development.

This includes mentorship by French and Sub-Saharan creative industries experts, a residence period in France within a digital cluster or hub, and participation at industry events in France and/or in Sub-Saharan African region.

Meanwhile, following a period of public online voting, the DLA Audience Award has been awarded to Justus Macharia from Kenya for his work titled BABA.

With 501 votes out of a total of 3,329, Macharia’s prize includes an invitation to one of the DLA industry events in France or in Sub-Saharan Africa.