The 4th edition of CIO Awards Africa 2023 has produced recipients of its prestigious initiative with representatives of various categories from different organisations in Nigeria and other African countries emerging as winners.
At the colourful event which held at MUSON Cenre, Onikan, Lagos on Saturday, November 25, Shoyinka Shodunke of MTN was announced the winner of Technology and Telecoms award, while Adetunji Ayoade of Arise Global Media Ltd won the Media and Entertainment category.
Also, Mitchell Elegbe, Founder, Interswitch, bagged a Lifetime Achievement award; Idris Musa, General Manager, Information Technology and Assets Integrity, Oando Group, emerged as overall winner of the 2023 CIO Awards.
In her welcome address, Abiola Laseinde, the Convener of the CIO Awards Africa, expressed gratitude to God and the team that helped to bring the initiative to fruition.
According to her, “We are extremely grateful to God Almighty for this project and its progress. To everyone who took the first step with us and has been on this path ever since, I cannot thank you enough for believing in this vision. I would like to express my profound gratitude to the esteemed jury who dedicated their time and expertise to evaluate the nominations received for each industry category across Africa.
“This year marks a significant milestone as we expand our horizon from Nigeria to Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and Senegal transcending borders and boundaries to acknowledge the exceptional contributions of tech leaders and visionaries from across the continent of Africa.”
Speaking further, Laseinde noted: “This year’s call for nomination was truly one like no other as all initial doubts we had about including more countries were later laid to rest when we did not only receive more than enough nominations for each country but every single category of the award received more than enough representation.”
Earlier at the event, the Chairman of the 2023 Jury, Dr Ayotunde Coker, challenged Chief Information Officers to go beyond their immediate status and aspire to be head of organisations they represent. This, according to him, cannot be achieved without striving for more and broader skills in various aspects of management structure.
“It now becomes more clear and important that the CIOs or the technologists that win the awards demonstrate the kind of breadth of business impact they’ve had. Not just the technology, these leaders are ones that cut right across the business; they see the whole business.
“So, increasingly they have to be groomed to be the CEOs of the future. Some are already becoming CEOs. We see the MTN CEO for instance. So, it is important that even the CIOs themselves need to recognise the importance of their roles,” Coker explained.
Among other notable awardees are: Myke Koledoye of Premium Trust Bank won in the banking category; Daniel Babatunde- FinTech category; Nelson Madu of Coronation Insurance- Insurance category; Kola Okunola of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)- Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) category.
Mr. Dare Okoudjou, Founder, Onafriq, also bagged Lifetime Achievement award, while Nkemdilim Begho, Founder, Future Software Resources Ltd., won the best female in digital and technology award winner for Nigeria while Lilian Barnard, President, Microsoft Africa, emerged best female in digital and technology award winner for other African countries.
Winners from other African countries included: Mr. Badara Diouf of Sama Web Sunu Web, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, Ceramica Platino Group Egypt, Mr Nicholas Bortey, Liranz Ltd. Ghana, Maurice Juma, Mediapal, Kenya, and Renaldo Dr Jagger, Dealersonline of South Africa.
2023 edition expanded its footprint with the CIO Awards Africa now encompasses a broader spectrum of IT leaders and visionaries across Africa.
This year’s expansion into Ghana, Egypt, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa marks a significant milestone in recognizing and celebrating the incredible tech talent that spans the African continent.
CIO Awards Africa program has continued to recognize top technology leaders, including CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and industry veterans, who have significantly impacted their organizations and industries through innovative technology strategies.
It is proudly associated with leading technical partners- Deloitte, and KPMG, who play a pivotal role in ensuring the integrity of the awards’ processes.
As a prestigious event that had it’s first edition in 2020, the creative mind behind the awards innovation is Abiola Laseinde, Chief Executive Officer, Edniesal Consulting and Convener CIO Club Africa and CIO Awards Africa. This award initiative honours outstanding individuals and organizations that have made remarkable contributions to the business world through the innovative use of technology.
