Top 100 out of 350 companies from the East African region will today be recognised for their exemplary adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) projects and realisation of return on investment and business efficiency in their processes. The awards, organised by CIO 100, will be announced during the organisation’s third annual symposium and awards ceremony in Kigali today.   The competition where 10 Rwandan companies are said to be participating is set to feature the most successful companies in information and technology, innovations from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.  Harry Hare, the director, CIO East Africa, said the award does not only provide a networking platform for IT buyers and industry leaders, but it is also the only competition within the East Africa region that awards excellence in the execution of IT projects and recognises the organisations and the people behind those projects.  "This is all about using information technology in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by creating competitive advantage, optimising business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers,” Hare said. He said the committee decided to host the event in Rwanda because of the country’s iconic regional IT status and rapid growth in ICT and economic development.  "Today, Rwanda is the fastest growing economy in East Africa anchored on an exponential growth in ICT and strong infrastructure,” Hare said. According to their web site, the process for choosing the CIO 100 honorees is systematic and competitive, seeking  companies that are using IT in innovative ways to deliver competitive advantage and enable growth.During the same occasion, the Transform Africa 2013 ceremony, which will take place later this year from October 28 to 31, will be announced. According to a survey by CIO East Africa magazine as per the previous year’s award ceremonies, CIO 100 annual awards is among the top 10 most influential corporate events in Africa. Previously, Kenya Education Network and Nakumatt Holdings emerged the winners, with the former scooping the overall accolade through their project that seeks to provide Internet to education institutions.  In 2008, CIO East Africa launched the CIO Executive Breakfast Series and the CIO 100 awards and symposium, which have since provided an interactive platform where the sector leaders from both the supply and demand side meet and interact. The awards have been hosted inWestern countries such as the US.