Melvin Onwubuke
The UK’s Department for Business and Trade has opened applications for African tech startups to participate in its Unicorn Kingdom: Pathfinder Awards (UKPA), through which it hopes to discover the most promising tech startup companies across the world.
The UKPA will become the largest global award for tech startups ever to be organised by the Department of Business and Trade, following the success of the Tech Rocketship Awards in the United Kingdom, according to nairametrics.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Office of the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos, Startup companies with ambitions to grow globally in the AI, Connected & Automated Mobility (CAM) Technology, Cyber Security, and Digital Trade Solutions sectors are eligible to apply.
In addition, the awards provide an opportunity for African entrepreneurs to make their way into the thriving technology sector of the United Kingdom, which is worth $1 trillion.
Commenting on the initiative, UK Investment Minister, Dominic Johnson said “These awards are a fantastic opportunity for tech scale-up companies to join the UK’s thriving $1 trillion tech sector.
“The awards are part of our commitment across government to help more businesses scale up and benefit from our highly skilled workforce and supportive regulatory system.
“The UK already has more unicorns than France and Germany combined, and our country continues to be a place where tech businesses from across the world come to thrive.”
His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, John Humphrey, was quoted in the statement as saying “The African startup landscape is now front and centre as the world focusses on African know-how and innovation. From bustling tech hubs across the continent from North to South and East to West, young businesses are changing the game by providing innovative solutions to African and global problems, while creating jobs and empowering their communities in the process.
“The launch of the Unicorn Kingdom: Pathfinder Awards across Africa, which offers tech startups from across this vibrant continent the opportunity to showcase their innovation and potential on a global scale, while opening up fascinating opportunities for the UK’s already vibrant tech ecosystem, is an exciting journey of growth and success.”
