The final round of Africa Connected’s competition to find the top five inspiring and successful people in Africa, who are running community transforming projects using the internet and Google, is open for public voting until 7 March.
Africa Connected is an initiative created by Google and a number of partners to encourage and educate people to start their own positive online ventures and to highlight those who are already doing so.
Out of 10 finalists, five winners will each receive $25,000 to aid their campaigns.
The top 10 finalists
Laming Mbengue – creator of the web TV channel Senegal TV, which targets Senegalese people abroad who want to connect with their country.
Eric Obuh – a Nigerian singer who has gone from scavenging in dump sites to becoming a worldwide sensation, due to exposure on YouTube. Obuh now uses Google+ and YouTube to highlight the underprivileged youth, living in the slums of Lagos.
Sitawa Wafula – a Kenyan blogger who used Google Blogger and started an award-winning blog on the topic of mental health in East Africa.
Nqobizitha Mlilo – an animator and filmmaker in Zimbabwe who runs Nafuna TV, using YouTube to promote his animation and video content.
Eseoghene Odiete – a designer who used Google Search and YouTube to learn how to create handbags, and subsequently found bloggers and magazines to feature her products.
Eunice Namirembe – a Ugandan doctor who has built a 24-hour accessible ambulance call centre to improve access to health care services by using the Google API dashboard and Google Maps.
Christopher Panford – runs a transport company empowering and enabling drivers in Ghana to gain access to loans to buy cars.
Steve Kyenze – runs a gallery in a Kenyan slum and teaches children to sustain their lives with art. Artworks are displayed on the gallery website, and are available for purchase.
Timothy Maguire – a South African who uses Google Translate to communicate with rural communities in Mozambique, so that he can provide them with access to clean drinking water.
Mayowa Adegbile – used YouTube as a platform to raise funds for her business school for widowed mothers in Nigeria.
Visit the Africa Connected website for more information.
