CIO East Africa, one of the leading magazines for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry in East
Africa, will host the East Africa CIO 100 Premier Annual Awards Competition at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya from 16th – 19th November 2010.  The event will draw participants from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The first annual East Africa CIO 100 Awards will celebrate 100 organizations (and the people within them) that are using information technology in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers.

“The CIO 100 Award is an acknowledged mark of enterprise excellence. For more than 24 years, the CIO 100 Awards has honored 100 companies each year that demonstrate excellence and achievement in IT across the globe” said
Harry Hare, the Editorial Director of CIO East Africa. The inaugural East Africa CIO 100 Awards is the first time that companies from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be distinguished for their innovative use of IT.

CIO 100 recognizes organizations that have taken risks on emerging technology or deployed the tried-and-true in a new way. Maybe an organization has built a better business process or fostered closer collaboration. Or an organization found ways to get more from existing customers, to pursue new markets, to save money or to make more. CIO 100 is an opportunity for businesses to share with their peers about the technology innovations that have enabled or led the way to greater success for their organization.

Mr Hare said, to be selected, applicants must show not only that they have executed their project well, but that they have done so in uncommon, innovative ways such as pioneering a new technology, applying a familiar technology to a new purpose, setting the bar higher for competitors, and they must demonstrate business value, not just IT benefits.

CIO East Africa has partnered with Synnovate who will take the interested participants through the survey process. Synnovate is a global leader in research with extensive experience and an impressive client base in the
region. “This is the first initiative of its kind within this sector and we are very excited to partner with regional professional organisations such as Synovate and Delloite to make sure that the quality of the outcome is comparable to the US edition of CIO 100” Mr. Hare continued.

To be eligible, companies will need to have an annual turn over of at least US$650,000 (approximately Kshs. 50 million), be tax compliant, and in operation for at least 3 years. The organization can be drawn from the private sector, public sector or any non governmental organizations. The closing date for all applications is Friday the 1st October 2010.

The East Africa CIO 100 Premier Annual Symposium & Awards Ceremony will be held at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya from 16th – 19th November 2010.  The CIO 100  Premier Annual Awards Competition will honor leading companies that
demonstrate excellence and achievement in innovation and business value. Additional information on the CIO 100 Premier Annual Awards Competition is available at www.cio.co.ke.

About CIO East Africa
CIO EAST AFRICA is the leading magazine for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry in East Africa, published by African eDevelopment Resource Centre in conjunction with the International Data Group (IDG), a world-renowned publisher of legendary brands.

The publication highlights ICT investment opportunities, innovation, intellectual property and trends of the converging technologies. Through such authoritative information, the investors get business leads and end-users make informed choices. More than ever before, ICT has become an integral part of a company’s business strategy, and therefore, the CIO editions makes it possible for companies to tap into new business segments and optimize on processes shared in the publication.