Ovamba Solutions, the award-winning innovator that produced Africa’s first “Sharia-compliant” ‘FinTech’ and ‘AgriTech’ platforms, has been selected among hundreds of candidates as one of the World Economic Forum’s “technology pioneers”.
World Economic Forum recognizes a limited number of companies each year as Technology Pioneers and incorporates them into its initiatives, activities, and events, where they bring cutting-edge insights and novel perspectives to world-critical discussions.
Ovamba was founded by Viola Llewellyn and Marvin Cole in 2013. The firm is a ground-breaking company with operations on the African Continent.
The company unique approach to helping businesses grow combines a proprietary risk model that blends ethnic and cultural data with traditional risk assessment features that are attuned to African realities. Companies were selected for their potential to “transform society and industry” and “shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Fulvia Montresor of the World Economic Forum said
Ovamba, which has innovated finance and business growth tools for African entrepreneurs has been one of three companies with a specific focus on Africa, and the only one focusing on Cameroon selected for its contributions to helping solve Africa’s challenges with access to financial services and capital.
This year’s cohort is the most diverse ever, both geographically and in terms of gender. 25% are female-led, and a majority (54%) come from regions outside the United States and Silicon Valley, with each continent represented, barring Antarctica. There is also a wide variety in the technologies the pioneers focus on: the focus technologies include artificial intelligence, big data and internet of things (IoT), biotechnology, the blockchain, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, vertical farming and other agricultural advances, decentralised microgrids, and robotics. The full list of recognized Technology Pioneers can be viewed here