The Africa Online Safety Fund (AOSF) has announced the winners of this year’s grants, with between US$10,000 and US$50,000 given to 22 organisations from seven African countries.
Disrupt Africa reported earlier this year South African social impact advisory firm Impact Amplifier had secured a second round of funding from Google.org to launch the second phase of the Africa Online Safety Fund, which seeks innovative solutions to online safety challenges.
The first phase of the fund focused on funding 26 social innovators in nine African countries with unique approaches to addressing online safety. The second Africa Online Safety Fund, which is a US$1 million commitment, has now selected 22 organisations as beneficiaries.
Six of the selected organisations are from Nigeria, namely Access Drive Capacity Development Foundation, Comcastle Plus (Trading As Epower), Lagosmums Foundation, TechSocietal, Teens Can Code and Zikoko Citizen.
Five come from South Africa, in the shape of Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change, City Of Johannesburg Library And Information Services, Global Leading Light Initiatives, Media Monitoring Africa, and Wolfpack Information Risk (Pty) Ltd.
Ghana – Ghana Internet Safety Foundation, Iwatch Africa, My Power App, and Penplusbytes – and Kenya – Boltech Consultancy, Terre Des Hommes Netherlands, Watoto Watch Network, and Wezesha – are each represented by four ventures.
The rest of the cohort comprises Cameroon’s Internet Society, Somalia’s Somali Women Journalists’ Rights Association (Sowjra), and Zimbabwe’s Safety N Us Trust.
Just over 350 applications were received for the 2023 cohort, from which a shortlist of 40 entries made it for the final selection process. Each of the eventual winners will receive grants ranging from US$10,000 to US$50,000.
