Cape Town

The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) hosted a spectacular celebration of African women's excellence at the2025 AWIEF Awards, held on Friday evening at the Cape Town South Africa.

The glittering gala honoured women entrepreneurs and leaders driving innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth across the continent. Eight exceptional winners were announced, each representing the transformative power of women-led initiatives in Africa.

Since its inception in 2016, the AWIEF Awards have been a beacon of recognition and inspiration for women in business and leadership. Beyond celebrating success, the Awards aim to empower the next generation of innovators and changemakers, fostering a vibrant pan-African community of collaboration and impact.

This year's winners and finalists came from across Africa, showcasing diverse industries including technology, agriculture, energy, creative arts, and social entrepreneurship — united by a shared vision of advancing Africa's growth through innovation.

The Awards followed the two-day AWIEF2025 Conference, which attracted over 500 delegates from 50+ countries for engaging discussions, exhibition, masterclasses, and networking sessions. The event concluded with the highly anticipated awards gala dinner, marking a fitting finale to two days of knowledge sharing and inspiration.

2025 AWIEF Awards Winners

Young Entrepreneur Award
Norah Kimathi – Zerobionic, Kenya

Empowerment Award
Mampho Sotshongaye – Golden Rewards 1981, South Africa

Energy Entrepreneur Award
Nidal Tafah – MIRRIAH, Morocco

Creative Industry Award
Soraya da Piedade – Soraya da Piedade LDA, Angola

Social Entrepreneur Award
Farana Boodhram – MiDesk Global, South Africa

Agri Entrepreneur Award (Sponsored by OCP Africa)
Linda Davis – Giraffe Bioenergy, Kenya

Tech Entrepreneur Award
Maryanne Gichanga – AgriTech Analytics, Kenya

Lifetime Achievement Award
Audrey Joe-Ezigbo – CEO, Falcon Corporation, Nigeria

Voices of the Winners

For Soraya da Piedade, founder of Soraya da Piedade LDA and winner of the Creative Industry Award, the recognition marks a defining moment in her journey as a designer and entrepreneur.

“I'm deeply honoured and grateful to AWIEF for creating platforms like this, where we celebrate women's creativity and leadership,” said Soraya. “This award reminds me that when we create from a place of passion and purpose, we not only build brands but also inspire others to dream bigger.”

From Kenya, Linda Davis, founder and CEO of Giraffe Bioenergy and winner of the Agri Entrepreneur Award, described the moment as “surreal.”

“It's my first time winning an award like this, and I am beyond excited,” said Davis. “AWIEF has given women like me a powerful space to share our work, connect with others, and be recognized for driving change in our communities. This win belongs to every woman farmer and entrepreneur working to build a sustainable Africa.”

About the 2025 AWIEF Awards Finalists

This year's finalists included inspiring women from across Africa — from tech innovators in Botswana and Uganda to social impact leaders in Somalia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe — highlighting the depth and diversity of women's entrepreneurial excellence on the continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF).

Media Contact:
Yolanda Mtshawu
Marketing & Communications
info@awieforum.org
www.AWIEForum.org

About AWIEF:
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) is a pan-African organization dedicated to advancing women's economic empowerment and leadership across Africa. Through its annual conference, awards, accelerator programs, and partnerships, AWIEF continues to support women founders, executives, and innovators, driving sustainable growth and inclusive development across the continent.

For more information, visit www.AWIEForum.org

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The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has concluded the Western Cape leg of public hearings on the Marriage Bill with mixed views received from residents of the greater City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The committee held the last hearing in the Western Cape at the OR Tambo hall in Khayelitsha.

With the recognition of polygamous marriages being one of the contentious clauses for residents, some participants argued that in passing the bill as it is, Parliament will perpetuate gender-based violence, as women in South Africa remain in a weak position to negotiate, either financially or physically. As a result, participants argued that women will be coerced into agreeing to enter a polygamous marriage.

Also, participants from faith-based organisations argued that marriage, according to their teachings and values recognises marriage as being between “one woman and one man”. Thus, the recognition of polygamy directly contradicts their teachings and values, hence the opposition to the bill.

There was also a concern that the bill perpetuates gender inequality, in that by recognising polygamy and its silence on polyandry marriages it discriminates against women and undermines the provision of equality in the Constitution.

There were also diverse views on the recognition of same sex marriages, with some participants highlighting that every South African is entitled to the protection of their right to marry whomever they choose. The opposing view from faith-based organisations was that same sex marriage is not in line with cultural and religious beliefs and represented “state recognised fraud”, which they were unwilling to accept.

There was also widespread agreement about the increase in the legal age of consent from 18 years to 21, as participants argued that marriage requires a level of maturity that an 18-year-old does not possess.

Meanwhile, some Islamic organisations called for a rethink of the Marriage Bill, as they are of the view that it contradicts the Department of Home Affairs' own green paper, which says that a single marriage statute would be unconstitutional. This, they argue, is because the Constitution says the people of South Africa are united in their diversity, but the Marriage Bill undermines the recognition of South Africa's diversity. Participants further argued that the bill forces everyone to be united under one law and does not recognise diversity of religions and cultures in South Africa.

With a balance of views supporting or rejecting the bill, some participants argued that the bill should include recognition of cohabiting partners to protect their property rights, which are often disregarded when one partner passes away.

Meanwhile, there was a concern that the bill makes the registration of customary marriages compulsory, which might negatively affect partners who do not register their marriage. Participants argued that consideration should be made to prevent having a law-making registration mandatory.

With the completion of the Western Cape public participation process, the committee is left with Limpopo as the last province where provincial public participation will be undertaken. The committee intends to undertake the hearings sometime in November and the dates and venues will be communicated in due course.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.