SweepSouth co-founder and CEO Aisha Pandor scooped the Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award at the 2020 Forbes Woman Africa Awards, held on Friday evening.
The award ceremony, at Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC Complex in Durban, celebrated successful African women in their respective fields, who are reshaping history, closing inequalities and pioneering new avenues of wealth creation, and in turn, lifting others with them.
Pandor founded on-demand home cleaning services Web and mobile app SweepSouth with husband and CTO Alen Ribic in 2014. The app, which allows users to book and pay for cleaning services, has provided 20 000 domestic workers with jobs since inception.
Hundreds of women competed for Forbes awards across nine categories, ranging from business, sports and social impact, to entertainment and leadership.
Pandor walked away with the Technology and Innovation Award, as the most influential entrepreneur in the tech space in Africa.
“I’d like to extend congratulations to all the 2020 award-winners for truly embodying this year’s summit theme, ‘The Ceiling Crashers 2.0: Power with Purpose’,” said Renuka Methil, managing editor of Forbes Woman Africa.
“We hope these well-deserved awards serve to highlight the impact being made by these women and provide inspiration for our future leaders.”
The awards followed a day of panel discussions and talks at the annual Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit, hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government and presented by Mastercard.
“I feel surprised but honoured to have won the award for tech and innovation. It is recognition for the hard work our team does every day towards our mission of using tech to help people find work, and serves as further inspiration and motivation for us to continue,” said Pandor.
“This recognition on a big international stage allows for readers and leaders who are not necessarily only in the tech world, to see the work our team does and to be aware of what SweepSouth is and of our efforts to use tech to build and scale a business that is also focused on positive social impact.”
Rakesh Wahi, founder of the ABN Group, a media holding company for CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa, welcomed this year’s attendees to the glamorous awards ceremony.
The opening address was presented by KZN MEC for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube; followed by the keynote address by KZN premier Sihle Zikalala.
The list of all 2020 Forbes Woman Africa Award-winners:
Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award: Dr Aisha Pandor, co-founder of SweepSouth, South Africa
Forbes Woman Africa Gen Y Award: Nthabiseng Mosia, founder of Easy Solar, Sierra Leone
Forbes Woman Africa Entertainer Award: DJ Zinhle, South Africa
Forbes Woman Africa Entrepreneur Award: Olajumoke Adenowo, founder of Ad Consulting, Nigeria
Forbes Woman Africa Male Gender Advocate Award: Bafana Khumalo, co-founder of Sonke Gender Justice, South Africa
Forbes Woman Africa Social Impact Award: Charmaine Mabuza, co-founder of Zamani Holdings, South Africa
Forbes Woman Africa Pioneer Award: Irene Charnley, founder and deputy chairman of Smile Telecoms Holdings
Forbes Woman Africa Chairperson Award: Ibukun Awosika, chairman of First Bank of Nigeria
Forbes Woman Africa Legacy Award: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, South Africa
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