This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
Kenya has taken the lead in the IT excellence awards in East Africa, with over 60 percent of the shortlisted companies hailing from the country.
Out of 384 companies that entered the prestigious awards, 150 were successfully shortlisted ahead of the major IT symposium and Awards scheduled to take place in Naivasha from November 21st, 2019.
The awards cover six East African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia.
According to Andrew Karanja, Director of CIO East Africa, this year saw companies from Ethiopia making submissions for the first time.
With a steady uptake of technology in Ethiopia, the market continues to open up, and the CIO 100 Awards recognize companies that have used IT in innovative ways to solve business challenges and achieve organizational goals.
Some of the companies from Ethiopia that made submissions include Gebeya, a technical training company based in Addis Ababa, and several banking and financial services sector companies.
Manufacturing and hospitality industries had the lowest entries this year, with both recording less than 2% of the entries.
Government agencies and ministries also made substantive submissions, including the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Uganda Revenue Authority.
The adjudication of the awards is ongoing, and the finalists for the various awards will be announced early next week.
