In a year defined by breakthroughs, grit, and intentionality, Hafrikplay closes 2025 with a global nod that signals something bigger than recognition , it signals arrival. And alignment.

Earlier this week, a notification came in, an email carrying the kind of news founders dream about.
Out of more than 3,400 female-founded tech companies across 127 countries, Omobosola Karimat Alaka, Co-Founder & CEO of Hafrikplay, was selected for the Aurora Tech Award Top 100.

The Aurora Tech Award, powered by inDrive , one of the world’s fastest-growing mobility and urban services platforms , is dedicated to honoring the boldest female tech founders in emerging markets. inDrive itself is a global force: operating in 700+ cities across 45+ countries, recognized for championing fairness, transparency, and solutions built for underserved communities. Their ethos mirrors Hafrikplay’s  innovation that centers people who have historically been overlooked.

This is not just an award.
This is a statement.

    It Started With a Bootcamp — Foundry for HER

A few months ago, Omobosola took a leap into the Foundry for HER Bootcamp , a three-day intensive designed to strengthen female founders leading impactful ventures in Africa.

The sessions were demanding, honest, transformational. Facilitators like:

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  Adora Nwodo — Tech builder & community architect

  
  


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  Chioma Ifeanyi-Okoro — Strategy & operations powerhouse

  
  


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  Folake Owodunni — Founder, Emergency Response Africa

  
  


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  Mary-Anne Momoh-Ige — Policy, governance & systems expert

  
  


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  Solape Akinpelu — Renowned voice in financial inclusion

  
  

…pushed every founder in the room to refine their conviction and sharpen their execution.
It wasn’t just a bootcamp, it was recalibration.

Omobosola left those three days with clarity. With renewed certainty in what Hafrikplay is building. And with an understanding that Africa’s creative economy is not a side conversation — it is the conversation.

    Then Came the Email — and the Moment of Realization

A few days ago, while in transit, a message came in from Chiwendu with a screenshot:

Hafrikplay has been selected for the Aurora Tech Award Top 100.

Omobosola jumped in her seat.

Not simply because of the recognition, but because of what it symbolizes.

It means the world is paying attention.
It means Africa’s creative-tech infrastructure ,  long overdue - is finally claiming its place.

It’s already opening its doors.

  “How Do You Compete With Spotify, Apple Music, Audiomack?”

This is a question founders of African DSPs hear often.

Omobosola’s answer is grounded and simple:

“We are not competing with them. Because they are not here.”

Global DSPs are brilliant - but they were not built in Africa, for Africa, or with African creators at the center.

Hafrikplay is solving for what they do not see:

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  Africa’s fragmented music economy

  
  


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  Unfair streaming revenue distribution

  
  


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  Lack of discovery for indigenous sounds

  
  


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  Limited earning pathways for new artists

  
  


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  Little infrastructure for artists without major label backing

  
  

Hafrikplay is built for the creators who are overlooked by global markets , not because they lack talent, but because the system wasn’t built with them in mind.

    BTEN: A Case Study in Why Hafrikplay Must Exist

Consider BTEN, a rising artist from Sagamu — raw, talented, disciplined.

He can do everything right in the studio.
But the moment the song leaves his hands, he faces a world where:

 He is competing with millions of global artists
 Playlisting requires budgets he cannot afford
 Platforms do not understand his audience
 His visibility is tied to algorithms not built for African discovery

Yet Africa has:

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  440 million youth under 35

  
  


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  Creative industries growing 12% annually

  
  


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  Less than 5% of artists earning sustainably from current DSPs

  
  

More than 80% of African music consumption happens outside global streaming platforms.

BTEN should not have to fight the entire world to be visible in his own continent.

And that fundamental reality is why Hafrikplay exists.

   We Built a Fair System — By a Creative, For Creatives

Hafrikplay is the result of lived experience , the pain of being an independent artist who had talent, drive, and vision… but lacked infrastructure.

The platform is designed differently:

 A DSP built for African discovery
 Transparent payout models for artists
 A distribution system centered on visibility
 Opportunities for growth without gatekeeping
 Tech that understands African music consumption
 Culture at the heart , not at the margins

It is not a copy of global platforms.
It is a solution to gaps they have never prioritized.

  Why the Aurora Tech Award Matters

Being selected for the Top 100 is not just recognition — it’s validation.

It signals:

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  Africa’s creative-tech economy is rising

  
  


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  Homegrown innovation matters

  
  


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  The world is finally observing solutions built for the Global South

  
  


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  Female founders from Africa are shaping global narratives

  
  


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  The next era of music-tech will not be imported — it will be built here

  
  

This honor aligns with Hafrikplay’s mission and momentum.

? A Note of Gratitude

To inDrive and the Aurora Tech Award team — thank you for championing bold female founders in emerging markets.

To the Foundry for HER facilitators — thank you for refining vision and leadership.

To the Hafrikplay team — thank you for building, even when no one was watching.

To African creatives — thank you for trusting a platform built for you.

? 2026: A New Door Opens

With this recognition, Hafrikplay steps into 2026 with:

Clarity.
Courage.
Conviction.
And culture at the center.

Hafrikplay is not just streaming music.
It is building Africa’s creative infrastructure.
It is building a home where African artists do not compete to be seen — they are seen by design.

We are just getting started.
Africa is building its own table — and Hafrikplay is one of the architects.