The winners will take home $25,000
Google, Friday, announced that three Nigerians were part of the top 10 finalists in its Google “Africa Connected” Competition.

In a statement, Google said that the three Nigerian finalists were Eric Obuh, a social crusader; Eseoghene Odiete, a fashion designer; and Mayowa Adegbile, a philanthropist.

The organisation said that the top 10 finalists also include two Kenyans, a Senegalese, a South African, a Zimbabwean and a Ghanaian.

The search engine said that five successful winners from among the finalists would now be selected by the online voting public.

According to Google, the winners would bag $25,000 (N4,065,000) each and would also have the opportunity to work with a Google sponsor over a six-month period, to further their online businesses.

It said that the competition was launched in August last year, calling entrepreneurs, creative innovators and web-lovers to share stories of how the web has transformed their lives and work.

Google said that the top ten finalists were selected by a panel of judges from over 2,200 entries from 35 countries.

It said that the competition categories included: Education, Entertainment/Arts/Sports, Technology, Community, NGOs and Small businesses.

The Google Lead for the Africa Connected initiative, Affiong Osuchukwu, was quoted as saying that the competition had run for over six months and they were thrilled at the amazing number of stories collected from across Africa.

“Today, we are excited to announce the Top 10 finalists who have been selected by our judges’ panel.

“The diversity of their ventures – from providing clean drinking water to preserving culture – shows how the web can truly drive positive change in the lives of many people and their communities.

“We look forward to seeing who the voting public choose as the winners – the top five most inspiring success stories from across our continent,” Mr. Osuchukwu said.

Google said that the winners would be announced on April 1, at an event in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr. Osuchukwu gave the website to vote for the finalists as:www.africaconnected.com.

(NAN)