Craft Silicon wins 2010 Africa Awards for entrepreneurship

"I am honored to join an outstanding group of entrepreneurs that have been recognised and supported by the Africa Awards," said Kamal Budhabhatti, CEO of Craft Silicon. "I hope that my experiences, and those of my fellow finalists, can help to inspire a new generation of African entrepreneurs to take risks and persevere to build their own business."

Five other finalists awarded US$50,000:

• Mellech Engineering & Construction - Nairobi, Kenya
  
• Planbuild Technical Services - Kampala, Uganda
  
• Sigma Electric - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  
• Tutuka Software - Rivonia, South Africa
  
• Wilkins Engineering - Accra, Ghana

Alan McCormick, MD of Legatum, a privately owned international investment group, commented, "With more than 2,700 entries from 15 different countries, this year's awards showcases a talented, dynamic group of entrepreneurs that distinguished themselves in an incredibly competitive field. We are pleased to recognise Craft Silicon, and all of our 2010 award winners, for the vital contributions they have made in promoting prosperity across the continent."

To determine the winners, finalists gathered in Nairobi to present to a prominent jury of African business leaders and investors. The panel was chaired by Tokunbo Talabi, CEO of Superflux International and winner of the 2008 Africa Awards, who presented the grand prize.

The jury also included Dr. Manu Chandaria, chairman of Comcraft Group; Dr. James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank; Kibuga Kariithi, director of Afrika Investment Bank; Cyrille Nkontchou, founder and CEO of LiquidAfrica; and Steve Beck, co-founder and CEO, SpringHill Equity Partners.

The competition, which was launched in July 2010, received a record number of 2,700 applications from 15 African countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.