Companion content material: Africa’s Business Heroes
The Africa’s Enterprise Heroes (ABH) Prize Competitors, Africa’s main philanthropic initiative supported by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy, is proud to announce the High 10 finalists for the 2024 ABH Prize.
These distinctive entrepreneurs had been chosen after an intense spherical of Semi-Last enterprise pitches and judging held on September 27-28 at Kamelizer Spaces, with neighborhood occasions till September 29, all within the historic metropolis of Cairo, Egypt. This marks ABH’s first occasion in North Africa, highlighting Egypt’s rising position as a key hub of entrepreneurial innovation in Africa.
The High 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order, by nation):
- Tisya Mukuna, Founder & CEO, La Kinoise (La boite) – Democratic Republic of the Congo | www.la-kinoise.com
- Hadeel Fayek, Founder & CEO, Joviality – Egypt | www.intl.joviality-eg.com
- Mina Shahid, Co-founder & CEO, Numida – Egypt | www.numida.com
- Dr. Rasha Rady, Co-founder & COO, Chefaa – Egypt | www.chefaa.health
- Clement Owusu-Donkor, Founder & CEO, Aquantuo – Ghana | www.aquantuo.com
- Alexander Odhiambo, Founder & CEO, Solutech Restricted – Kenya | www.solutech.co.ke
- Dr. Salma Bougarrani, Co-Founder & CEO, GREEN WATECH – Morocco | www.greenwatech.com
- Mobolaji Ajayi, Founder & CEO, Purelife Pharmacy – Nigeria | www.purelifepharmacy.ng
- Henri Ousmane Gueye, Co-founder & CEO, EYONE – Senegal | www.eyone.net
- Maxima Nsimenta, Co-founder & CEO, LIVARA – Uganda | www.mylivara.com
The 2024 ABH High 10 entrepreneurs had been recognized by way of a rigorous course of involving a number of rounds of interviews and assessments. Ranging from round 20,000 purposes from all 54 African nations, the pool was narrowed to the High 50 finalists. Following one other choice spherical involving video name interviews with skilled judges, ABH recognized the High 20 finalists who attended the Semi-Last in Cairo. At these Semi-Finals, the High 10 finalists to obtain their share of the $1.5 million grant had been chosen. These finalists characterize eight nations: three from Egypt, the host nation of the 2024 ABH Semi-Last, in addition to entrepreneurs from Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is represented for the primary time this 12 months.
Their ventures span a various vary of industries, together with Agriculture, Training and Coaching, Monetary Providers, Well being care, ICT, Logistics, Manufacturing and Retail. All of the High 10 finalists have been vetted by way of a due diligence course of led by PlusVC and had been chosen after pitching their ventures to a panel of judges in entrance of a stay viewers.
Internet hosting the Semi-Last occasion in Cairo highlighted town’s longstanding legacy in commerce, commerce, and entrepreneurship. Recognized for its wealthy historical past, Egypt performs a crucial position in selling entrepreneurship and supporting the subsequent era of African enterprise leaders.
“We selected Cairo as the situation for this necessary stage of the competitors due to its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and its strategic place within the African market,” mentioned Zahra Baitie-Boateng, Managing Director, Africa at Africa’s Enterprise Heroes.
“The outstanding progress of Egypt’s entrepreneurial neighborhood is clear from our expertise over the previous six years at ABH. We have now seen 34 Egyptian entrepreneurs progress by way of varied levels of the competitors, from the High 50 to the High 10, together with two third prize winners, one second prize winner and one grand prize winner. These achievements, amongst others, underscore Egypt’s affect throughout the continent’s broader entrepreneurial panorama, and we’re proud to showcase its significance,” she added.
The Semi-Last occasion featured an esteemed panel of judges, together with Hasan Haider Founder and Managing Companion at PlusVC, Fatoumata Doro, Former Managing Director at Vlisco and Board Member at Ecobank, Dina el-Shenoufy, Chief Funding Officer at Flat6Labs, and Simbarashe Mhungu, an Govt Director in Agriculture and Infrastructure Finance. The occasion, which attracted contributors from throughout the continent additionally featured community-focused occasions. These included a networking cruise on the Nile, sponsored and co-hosted with The FutureList, and a coaching session on constructing a future-proof enterprise, led by business specialists with further coaching from Alibaba Cloud. Different sponsors included Kamelizer Spaces, whereas companions akin to Career180, Helm, Satguru, ALX Ventures and RiseUp Summit had been additionally concerned – highlighting the collaboration of key gamers from Egypt’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and past, all working collectively to assist African entrepreneurs.
In a press release shared following the revealing of the High 10 on the Gala Dinner concluding the Semi-Last, Baitie-Boateng additional famous, “We proceed to see inspiring examples of innovation and resilience among the many ABH finalists, and this 12 months’s cohort is not any totally different. These entrepreneurs have overcome vital challenges and are constructing companies that contribute to their native economies and past.”
The Grand Finale and Summit in Kigali, Rwanda
The finalists will now compete for a share of the US$1.5 million prize on the Grand Finale, which is about to happen from December 3-5, 2024, in Kigali, Rwanda.
The occasion, which may also be partially live-streamed, will convey collectively main traders, enterprise leaders, and innovators from throughout Africa. It can function a wide range of actions, together with keynote speeches, workshops, an entrepreneurial showcase, and a stay pitch competitors, amongst different thrilling periods.
ABH has indicated that the 2024 Grand Finale will keep true to the initiative’s core values since its launch in 2019. Emphasising its pan-African dedication, the occasion will highlight inclusivity, sector-diversity, and grassroots innovation. This high-profile gathering will spotlight entrepreneurs who’re addressing a few of the continent’s most urgent challenges whereas driving sustainable financial progress throughout Africa.
Be part of the ABH Journey
The ABH neighborhood invitations stakeholders, traders, and companions to remain engaged because the competitors progresses. Registration for the Grand Finale and Summit in Kigali is now open. Go to www.africabusinessheroes.org to study extra and be a part of the journey in direction of figuring out Africa’s Enterprise Heroes.