Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship winners announced

The Educating Africa Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education 2008 sought to identify the very best organisations rising to the challenges of supporting education across Africa, highlighting their ways of working, and rewarding their achievements.

Nik Kafka, managing director from Teach A Man To Fish said, "We were knocked out by the standard of entrants from across Africa. This competition set out to prove that the entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in all types of educational projects across the continent - and we were proved right.

"The awards have drawn international attention to the achievement of some of Africa's great educational entrepreneurs. We now hope that others will be encouraged to follow their example."

Entries were assessed against the criteria of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and impact. The winners were selected by a panel of international judges, and the top three awardees travelled to South Africa to receive their prizes at Education That Pays For Itself 2008, an international conference on sustainable education that took place in November.

Melinda Baker from Soft Power Education said: "We were thrilled to win this competition. It is great to know that our work is appreciated by our peers across the globe. The prize money will help us develop new projects and help more children into education."

2008 winners:

1st Prize: Soft Power Education, Uganda - a charity that elicits the help of over 1,000 tourists yearly to improve the quality of life for children in primary education helping build or renovate over 370 classrooms, and supporting pre-school and adult learning in local communities.

2nd Prize: Whiz Kids Workshop, Ethiopia - a private production company that produces a television show for children from ages three to six. The show seeks to educate children about personal values such as honesty and justice, as well as preparing them for school.

3rd Prize: Africa Now, Kenya - an organisation in Western Kenya with an innovative project teaching entrepreneurial and agricultural skills through the practice of bee-keeping. Already established in two schools, Africa Now is expanding its program to six other schools in the region.

For more details on the winners and a full list of all the organisations that received prizes visit the competition website - www.teachamantofish.org.uk/competition.