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By Stella Odueme
Nigerian startup, HubPharm Africa, has won the second edition of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Startup Awards, emerging with the grand prize of $30,000.
The company was announced as the overall winner at the award ceremony held at the New ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja.
A statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission on Sunday said Gaynako of Senegal emerged first runner-up, while My Opinion of Côte d’Ivoire took the second runner-up position.
The awards were organised by the ECOWAS Commission through its Directorate of Private Sector and Industry to recognise innovative startups and encourage entrepreneurship across the region.
The ceremony also featured the launch of the ECOWAS Private Sector Development Academy and the ECOWAS Startup Networks.
The Commission said the initiatives were designed to deepen collaboration among entrepreneurs and private-sector stakeholders, promote knowledge sharing and expand access to opportunities within West Africa’s growing startup ecosystem.
It added that the second edition of the awards underscored ECOWAS’ commitment to fostering innovation, supporting emerging businesses and creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and private-sector development across the region.