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Honoring Transformative Contributions to Artificial Intelligence in Cameroon
About the Award
About the Award
The Cameroon AI Impact Award is a national recognition honoring individuals who have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create measurable, positive impact in Cameroon. Inspired by the global Roux Prize, this award celebrates leaders who move beyond theory to apply AI in ways that improve lives, strengthen systems, and advance equitable development.
Organized by IndabaX Cameroon, the award reflects our commitment to promoting responsible, inclusive, and locally grounded AI innovation across sectors such as public health, education, agriculture, governance, and community development.
The award will be presented annually at the IndabaX Cameroon Conference, with the inaugural ceremony taking place during the 7th edition of IndabaX Cameroon (May 12–14, 2026) at the University of Ngaoundéré.
Objectives
Objectives
The Cameroon AI Impact Award aims to:
Recognize outstanding AI-driven contributions with real-world impact in Cameroon
Inspire emerging leaders and practitioners in AI and data science
Promote practical, ethical, and community-centered AI solutions
Elevate Cameroonian AI leaders on regional and global platforms
Strengthen collaboration across research, industry, policy, and civil society
Scope of Eligible Contributions
Scope of Eligible Contributions
Nominations may reflect impact in one or more of the following areas:
Research – AI methods or tools adapted to Cameroonian realities
Policy & Governance – Ethical frameworks, AI strategy, or data governance
Implementation – Deployed AI solutions in health, agriculture, education, etc.
Community Impact – AI projects empowering marginalized or underserved groups
Entrepreneurship & Capacity Building – Startups, training programs, mentorship
Who Is Eligible?
Who Is Eligible?
Nominees must meet all of the following criteria:
✔ Cameroonian national
✔ Individual person (not a team or organization)
✔ Demonstrated work related to Artificial Intelligence
✔ Clear relevance or documented impact in Cameroon
✔ Not a member of the Nomination Committee or Selection Board
✔ Not self-nominated
This award is intended for individuals who have demonstrably used AI to create real, positive change, not only experimentation or theory.
Why This Award Matters
Why This Award Matters
By launching the Cameroon AI Impact Award, we aim to:
Celebrate Cameroonian excellence in AI
Encourage ethical, inclusive innovation
Strengthen the national AI ecosystem
Inspire the next generation of AI leaders
How to Nominate
How to Nominate
Nominations are open to the public and may be submitted by peers, institutions, or community members.
Required Information
Required Information
Nominee Information
Name, title, role, organization
Email (phone number optional)
Nomination Statement (max 1,000 words)
Recommended structure:Problem & Context (~200 words)
AI Solution & Innovation (~250 words)
Impact & Evidence (~300 words)
Leadership & Barriers Overcome (~150 words)
(Optional) Responsible AI & Sustainability (~100 words)
Supporting Materials (optional)
Media articles, reports, letters of support (max 5)
Nominator Information
Name, role, organization, contact details
Relationship to nominee
Selection Process
Selection Process
Step-by-step process:
Open call for nominations
Eligibility screening
Scoring by the Nomination Committee
Selection of 5 finalists
Virtual interviews by the Selection Board
Winner selected and announced
The awardee will:
Receive the Cameroon AI Impact Award (Cash Prize)
Be honored at the IndabaX Cameroon Conference
Deliver a 30-minute keynote presentation
Key Dates (Tentative)
Key Dates (Tentative)
Nomination call opens: February 02
Nomination deadline: February 28
Finalists selected: March 30
Interviews: April
Winner announced: April 30
Award ceremony: May 2026
Governance & Committees
Selection Board: An independent body responsible for final evaluation and selection of the awardee.
Selection Board: An independent body responsible for final evaluation and selection of the awardee.
Nomination Committee: Responsible for screening, scoring, and shortlisting candidates.
Nomination Committee: Responsible for screening, scoring, and shortlisting candidates.
Members serve in an honorary capacity and are not eligible for the award during their tenure.
2026 Award Recipient
Frank Tchatseu Louenkam is a Data Scientist, AI Builder Engineer, and CEO of VALIDE SARL. Passionate about the real-world impact of artificial intelligence, he built VALIDE, a mobile app that uses AI to make quality education accessible to every Cameroonian student. The app counts over 25,000 users across the country.
Nominated by: Jules Quentin Kouamo (PhD Student, Laboratoire TIMA) -> team member nomination.
Project: VALIDE -> Plateforme éducative IA pour préparation aux examens.
Website: https://valide-startup.vercel.app/
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.team.valide
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ke/app/valide/id6467521666
Project Overview
Project Overview
VALIDE is a comprehensive AI-powered educational platform specifically engineered to support Cameroonian students in their preparation for national examinations. At its core, the platform features a sophisticated pedagogical chatbot trained extensively on the Cameroonian national curriculum. The project is the result of over two years of rigorous fieldwork, culminating in a robust database of more than 10,000 educational resources.
Key features include:
Adaptive Learning: Quizzes and content that personalize based on student performance.
Accessibility: Available on Android and iOS with full offline functionality, ensuring students in underserved areas with limited connectivity are not left behind.
Social Mission: Provided entirely free of charge to students, directly mitigating the educational crisis caused by the abandonment of posts by over 3,600 teachers.
Impact and Community Engagement
In a remarkably short period, VALIDE has demonstrated significant social proof and operational success:
25,000 registered users.
1,000 daily active users during peak examination periods.
5,000 secondary school students onboarded within just two weeks of launch.
The success of VALIDE is further bolstered by strategic partnerships with the ARPD, Fondation TITI, and student associations at the Universités de Yaoundé 1 and 2. Its innovative approach has also earned significant media recognition, including coverage by CRTV.
Evaluation Results
The committee highlighted the project's strong AI integration, exemplary community engagement through field visits to lycées and universities, and a clear scalability path across Francophone Africa.
VALIDE represents a genuine commitment to equity and responsible AI. By providing teacher-validated content and offline accessibility, the project ensures that high-quality education is a right, not a privilege. While the committee encourages future efforts to collect data correlating app usage with improved exam results, the current achievements of VALIDE set a high benchmark for AI innovation in Cameroon. Ethically, the free access model, offline functionality, and teacher-validated content demonstrated a genuine commitment to equity and responsible AI. The only noted gap was the absence of data correlating app usage with improved exam results.
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