Business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan presented its African Excellence Awards last Thursday, acknowledging companies that have excelled in the past financial year.
Frost & Sullivan has over 1 000 industry analysts responsible for tracking over 200 000 companies in 300 industries worldwide. According to Africa consulting director Henrik Malan, the process of selecting winners tapped into this wide-ranging research, and included over 60 consulting engagements.
Award winners in the technology sector included a number of South African firms.
Business Connexion was awarded the 2010 South African Data Centres Market Share Leadership Award for its T4 data centre, the first of its kind to be certified in SA.
Lodox Systems was given the 2010 South African Medical Imaging Product Quality Leadership Award for its low-radiation, 13-second, x-ray solution - primarily for use during emergency situations when doctors and nurses cannot leave the patient.
“Several international corporates said that it was not possible,” said a company representative. “Luckily we didn't know that.”
FireID won the 2010 World Mobile OTP Key Authentication New Product Innovation Award for its mobile and offline OTP (one-time password) system, which secures online banking and transactions across the globe.
Dresser International, Corbo Consult and Engineering and Wonderware SA were also given awards, for their roles in increasing manufacturing efficiency.
African awards
From elsewhere in Africa, Sasatel Tanzania received the 2010 East African Broadband Internet Product Differentiation Excellence Award; and Telecel Zimbabwe won the 2010 SADC Mobile Telecommunications Market Penetration Leadership Award. Telecel Zimbabwe managed to increase its subscriber base from 200 users, in June 2009, to over a million this year, which translates into 28% of the country's market share.
ECI Telecoms, which provides the Ethernet backbone for Neotel, among others, was presented with the 2009 West and East Africa Carrier Ethernet Customer Value Enhancement Award, for its consolidated and scalable infrastructure.
“We aim to unlock economic benefit for all,” said the company's CEO for Africa, Smangele Nkosi.
International networking leader, Cisco, was also acknowledged for improvements in security, receiving the SA ICT Managed Services Award.
Malan says Africa has proven in the last few years that it is no longer just a developing continent seeking maintenance from the rest of the world, but a main business focus.
Looking at GDPs, Malan says Africa doubled in growth between the years 2000 and 2008, though there is still much room for development. “Africa is a lion on the move,” he says.
A gallery of the event can be found here.
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