Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announved the winners of its 2024 Equity Equivalent Investment Program (EEIP) Partner Awards held on 2 May in Johannesburg.
Chris Erasmus, country manager of AWS, says: “The awards were a significant occasion for us to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate our outstanding partners who are part of the global community of 130 thousand AWS Partner Network (APN) partners. These partners have grown from strength to strength, increasing their revenues at an average rate of 126%, while also creating jobs for youth in South Africa. Their performance is nothing but exemplary, and their contributions foster diversity and inclusion in the South African AWS Partner Ecosystem.”
AWSEEIP Partner Awards for 2024 acknowledges partners who have delivered exceptional results during their tenure in the programme, showcasing their dedication, innovation, and commitment to growth within the APN.
AWS’ EEIP is an 18–24-month enablement and acceleration program designed for South African Black-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking to expand their AWS practice.
“Through the EEIP, AWS empowers underrepresented voices, fostering diversity, while providing invaluable support to SMEs on their journey to cloud-centric success,” says Erasmus.
To date the AWS EEIP team has onboarded 27 Partners since 202. The awards ceremony celebrated the achievements of cohorts 1, 2, and 3.
The 2024 AWS EEIP Partner Award winners include:
Training and Certification: Awarded to partners who exceeded their certification requirements.
- Cohort 1 Winner: Disraptor
- Cohort 2 Winner: Batsamayi
- Cohort 3 Winner: Pax Divitae
Innovation: Recognising partners who demonstrated innovation on behalf of their customers.
- Cohort 2: Batsamayi
- Cohort 3: One Linkage
AWS Specialisation Programme: Awarded to partners who earned specialisation based on technical expertise validated by AWS or third-party auditors.
- Cohort 1: Reliance Cloud
- Cohort 2: Cloudza
- Cohort 3: Koedr
Partner Tier Progression: Recognising partners who were first to achieve Advanced tier on the Amazon Partner Network in less than 18 months.
- Cohort 1: Disraptor
- Cohort 2: Batsamayi
- Cohort 3: Pax Divitae
Software Path Validation: Awarded to partners who validated their software path.
- Umdoko Internet Solutions
Training Path Validation: Awarded to partners who validated their training path.
- Think Tank
Social Impact: For partners contributing to social impact through the AWS YES4YOUTH programme by encouraging youth development and job creation.
- Reliance Cloud
- Disraptor
- Solvyng
- Cloudza
- Batsamayi
In line with the programme’s mission to promote diversity and inclusion, AWS’ EEIP Partner Awards recognised 100% Black owned SMEs that raised the bar in respect of training and certification, innovation, progressing through the APN and their contribution to social impact through the employment of South African youth. Through AWS’ EEIP, participating SMEs have been able to leverage AWS resources, expertise and programs to develop, market, and deliver innovative solutions to customers.