At the start of 2020, Akaboxi team set out on a journey to apply and be part of the Prize D4D a biennial initiative of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) supported by the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).

Prize D4D consists of three categories:

• The innovative idea / startup – ‘iStartUp’
  The success story – ‘iStandOut’

The public award – ‘iChoose’

After the application process the jury of the Prize ‘Digital for Development (D4D)’ selected three nominees in each category. AKABOXITECH – Digital Financial Inclusion was selected as one of the three nominees on the shortlist of the category ‘iStartUp’.

The nominees are then invited to go and present their project in front of the jury in Belgium. But due to the current COVID situation, the south partner could not be invited. The project had to be presented by the partners settled in Belgium.
The Akaboxi selected two “Northern/Belgian” representatives partners settled in Belgium Frans Verschelden and Eugenie Nijhuis.

The Belgian representatives are part of the ondernemers-voor-ondernemers(OVO) acceleration fund that has supported our work as Akaboxi since 2018 after winning the first ‘Sustainable Technology for Africa’.

After the pitching presentation in front of the jury at the AfricaMuseum. The Awards ceremony was graced by the presence of the Minister of Development Cooperation, Meryame KitirThe.

Akaboxi was honored to be selected as the winners of the iStartUp Category.