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AFRICA’S BUSINESS HEROES
5th Anniversary Impact Summary
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR FINALE JUDGES
Jack Ma
Founder,
the Jack Ma Foundation
(2019)
Joe Tsai
Chairman,
Alibaba Group
(2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Ibukun Awosika
Founder,
the Chair Centre Group
(2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Strive Masiyiwa
Founder and Executive,
Chairman,
Econet
(2019, 2020)
Victor Williams
CEO,
NBA Africa
(2021, 2022)
Lucy Peng
Co-founder and Partner,
Alibaba
(2020)
Diane Karusisi
CEO,
Bank of Kigali
(2023)

This is the hope of Africa. If we can enable the entreprenerus there, they may change Africa.

Africa's Business Heroes is giving inspiration and courage to all entrepreneurs in Africa.

This award is for all industries in Africa, to all mem and all women, of different ages.

This is for African entrepreneurs.

Jack Ma
Founder
Jack Ma Foundation
ABH GRANT RECIPIENTS HAVE
Raised over
$153M+
in investment
Operations in
52
African countries
Served over
37.5M+
customers/users
Created over
123,000
direct and indirect jobs
Received
7M
in prize money
Reported over
$252M
in revenue
Numerous stories of struggle, innovation, and accomplishment give color to the numbers above. Covid-19 hit the world shortly after the inaugural ABH competition and despite this ABH remained steadfast in its mission. Today, ABH entrepreneurs are thring, and only one out of the ABH’s Top 50 grant recipients no longer operates.
WOMEN AND ABH
Africa has the highest percentage of women-led businesses in the world. Women make up 30% of the ABH applicant pool. This figure rises with women accounting for 42% of the 50 ABH finalists and 60% of the Grand Prize winners in the first 4 years. Women have also been awarded 47% of the ABH prize money to date. This representation is crucial when on average male entrepreneurs receive 25 times more investment than females.
30%
ABH applicant pool
42%
50 ABH finalists
60%
Grand Prize winners
47%
ABH Prize money
ABH SHOW
Africa’s Business Heroes
2019 Official Documentary
The power and impact of storytelling
The acclaimed ABH multi-award-winning documentary chronicles the journeys of 3 Top 10 ABH entrepreneurs from the 2019 competition. It depicts the challenges they face while building impactful African businesses and the sacrifices made on their path. The documentary portrays their grit, passion, innovation, and trailblazing spirit.
The ABH Show
(2020, 2021, 2022)
The ABH Show offers a master class in entrepreneurship, showcasing leading African entrepreneurs refining their pitches and competing for the top 3 spots. The show spotlights our Top 10 heroes each year and provides insight into the business and their journey through the ABH competition. The ABH Show has been broadcast each year on continent-wide and local TV stations including CNBC Africa and StarTimes before it is added to ABH official YouTube channel. In 2022 the show format evolved from longerlength TV shows to short content so that it could be consumed more easily.
AMPLIFYING REACH BY LEVERAGING PUBLIC RELATIONS
To inspire millions through stories of entrepreneurship in Africa, these narratives must reach a wide audience. Leveraging the power of media, including social platforms, articles, and interviews, becomes a potent tool in ensuring that ABH entrepreneurs’ stories resonate across Africa and globally.
Languages
English, French, Arbic, Portuguese
Media releases
across 54 African countries
Print media coverage
29,188 clippings
1 billion people globally
SOCIAL MEDIA
Highlighting ABH’s social media impact demonstrates our commitment and track record, providing a means to measure engagement effectively. It also allows the stories of our heroes to reach a wider audience, and inspire larger communities. As many Africans use mobile-based social media pages, by leveraging them, ABH is also building a community of inspired Africans.

Each year since 2019, ABH has compiled a short recap video of its competition. These YouTube videos have received millions of views, and in response to the increased popularity of short content, ABH will continue to leverage this format going forward.
Facebook

126,934 followers

907M+ views

8,489,322 interactions

LinkedIn

23,217 followers

797,339 impressions

71,059 engagements

X/Twitter

16,104 followers

3,355,590 impressions

167,697 engagements

Instagram

27,836 followers

195,014,858 impressions

56,277 engagements

YouTube

8,460 followers

5,987,991 views

17,377 interactions

* Figures above were correct as of December 2023s
ENTREPRENEURS BY SECTOR
Their regional distribution and diversity
Agriculture
Abdulai A. Dasana
Ghana
AMAATI
Aboubakar Karim
Côte d’Ivoire
Investiv
Axel Emmanuel Gbaou
Côte d’ Ivoire
Le Chocolatier Ivoirien
Ayodeji Arikawe
Nigeria
Thrive Agric
Christina Gyisun
Ghana
Sommalife
Elia Timotheo
Tanzania
East Africa Foods
Flavien Kouatcha Simo
Cameroon
Save our Agriculture
Ikenna Nzewi
Nigeria
Releaf
Mahmud Johnson
Liberia
J-Palm Liberia
Thomas Njeru
Kenya
Pula
Digital & Consumer Services
Albert Munyabugingo
Rwanda
Vuba Vuba Africa
Amadou Daffe
Ethiopia
Gebeya
Amena Elsaie
Egypt
Helm
Chidi Nwaogu
Nigeria
Publiseer
Elmarie Pereira
South Africa
Memeza
Ethel Mupambwa
Zimbabwe
MoneyMart Finance
Ismael Belkhayat
Morocco
Chari
Nadia Gamal El Din
Egypt
Rahet Bally
Oghenetega lortim
Nigeria
Figorr
Tesh Mbaabu
Kenya
Marketforce
Waleed Abd El Rahman
Egypt
Mumm
Energy & Environment
Charlot Magayi
Kenya
Mukuru Clean Stoves
Chebet Lesan
Kenya
BrightGreen Renewable Energy
Christelle Kwizera
Rwanda
Water Access Rwanda
Francine Munyaneza
Rwanda
Munyax Eco
Ghirmay Abraham
Eritrea
Aptech Africa
Nthabiseng Mosia
Sierra Leone
Easy Solar
Yvette Ishimwe
Rwanda
IRIBA Water Group
Healthcare
Bola Bardet
Côte d’Ivoire
Susu
Dr. Chibuzo Opara
Nigeria
Drugstoc
Dr. Ikpeme Neto
Nigeria
WellaHealth
Joan Rukundo Nalubega
Uganda
Uganics
Oluwasoga Oni
Nigeria
MDaaS Global
Shona Mcdonald
South Africa
Shonaquip Social Enterprise
Temie Giwa-Tubosun
Nigeria
LifeBank
Dr. Tosan Mogbeyiteren
Nigeria
Black Swan Tech Ltd
Retail & Manufacturing
Diarra Bousso
Senegal
Diarrablu
Ketshephaone Jacob
Botswana
The Bulb World
Kevine Kagirimpundu
Rwanda
UZURI K&Y
Mohamed Ali
Egypt
iLOCK
Moulaye Tabouré
Côte d’ivoire
ANKA
Navalayo Osembo-Ombati
Kenya
Enda
Prince Agbata
Ghana
Coliba
Theo Baloyi
South Africa
Bathu
Violet Amoabeng
Ghana
Skin Gourmet
Science & Education
Ayman Bazaraa
Egypt
Sprints
Cyrille Nkontchou
Cameroon
Enko Education
Dr. Emma Nalvyima Mugerwa
Uganda
MST Junior School
Dr. Khadija Elbedweihy
Egypt
PraxiLabs
Dr. Omar Soukry Sakr
Egypt
Nawah Scientific
AFRICA’S BUSINESS HEROES TIMELINE
2017 TO 2023
2017
Jack Ma visited Africa for the first time as a special adviser to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for Youth Entrepreneurship and Small Business. During his trip, he spent time at Nailab, an entrepreneur incubator in Nairobi, Kenya. Following this, he attended the YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Inspired by the abundant entrepreneurial spirit and untapped potential of the African youth, Mr. Ma announced a decade-long philanthropic commitment to support African entrepreneurs.
2018
The Jack Ma Foundation established the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) with an initial $10 million investment over ten years from 2019 to 2029. Its mission is to identify, showcase, and provide grant funding to 100 of Africa’s Business Heroes over ten years and inspire a movement of African entrepreneurship. Three program pillars were identified to deliver impact and support the mission: Support, Show, and Grow.
2019
The inaugural year of the Africa’s Business Heroes competition saw the program simultaneously launched in Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi with the help of local hub partners. 9,366 applications were received from 50 countries across the continent following the successful launch. The competition semi-final was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Following this, the inaugural Summit and Grand Finale was held in Accra, Ghana in front of an 800-person audience where the $1 million prize was allocated.
2020
ANPI was rebranded to Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) to highlight African entrepreneurs and further ensure that business heroes are the program’s focus. The ABH documentary was launched and received nine prestigious international awards and official selections from international TV and film festivals. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the competition adapted and was launched virtually to an audience of ~4,000. Nearly 22,000 applications were received from all 54 African countries. The prize money was increased to $ 1.5 million.
2021
Due to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the competition continued to run virtually. Ten locations connected virtually for the ABH Grand Finale, which featured a virtual exhibition hall that showcased the Top 10 businesses in virtual exhibition booths. The ABH show premièred on CNBC Africa, a 4 part TV show chronicling the journey of the 2020 Top 10 Heroes. The show was then broadcast on a range of continental and local stations before it was added to the ABH YouTube channel.
2022
For the first time since 2019, the competition was launched physically where audiences from Cairo, Kigali, and Kinshasa were simultaneously connected to a large online audience. The semi-final was physically held in Kigali, Rwanda concurrently with the first ABH Top 10 gathering which saw heroes from 2019 to 2021 meeting for the first time. During the event, the first ABH African office was opened at Norrsken House, Kigali to reinforce the program’s commitment to the continent by setting down African roots. The Grand Finale was then held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in front of an intimate live ~100 studio audience and broadcast online.
2023
To reach a wider audience of local entrepreneurs, following a virtual launch, there was an application support workshops roadshow in 12 cities. This year saw a record high response with more than 27,000 hopeful entrepreneurs from across all 54 African Countries signing up for the competition. For the first time, the semi-final was open to a small live audience of 200 and attracted a diverse group of individuals ranging from students to entrepreneurs and ecosystem players. For the first time since 2019 and in celebration of its 5th anniversary, ABH hosted a physical Summit and Grand Finale in Kigali gathering over 1,750 attendees.
ABH KEY STATISTICS
Prize Competition
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 TOTAL/
AVERAGE
Number of African countries represented 50 54 54 54 54
Number of applicants 9,366 21,952 20,288 20,976 27,267 99,849
French-speaking applicants N/A 18% 16% 15% 27% 19%
Proportion of women among Top 10 30% 50% 50% 50% 30% 42%
Number of volunteer judges 46 178 285 497 411 903
Total grant funding $1
million
$1.5
million
$1.5
million
$1.5
million
$1.5
million
$7
million
2019 2020 2021
Number of African countries represented 50 54 54
Number of applicants 9,366 21,952 20,288
French-speaking applicants N/A 18% 16%
Proportion of women among Top 10 30% 50% 50%
Number of volunteer judges 46 178 285
Total grant funding $1
million
$1.5
million
$1.5
million
2022 2023 TOTAL/
AVERAGE
Number of African countries represented 54 54
Number of applicants 20,976 27,267 99,849
French-speaking applicants 15% 27% 19%
Proportion of women among Top 10 50% 30% 42%
Number of volunteer judges 497 411 903
Total grant funding $1.5
million
$1.5
million
$7
million
Over the past 5 years, the Prize Competition has received immense support from investors, entrepreneurs, and business professionals from across the globe.

903 volunteers have provided their support in the form of judging, mentoring, and supporting the thousands of applicants who have entered and participated in the competition. Together these volunteers have contributed over 15,280 hours of support to the program.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Since its establishment, the ABH Program has worked closely with a range of entrepreneurial ecosystem players from across the globe. The support of our partners, judges, volunteers, friends, and communities across Africa and from all corners of the world has been instrumental in the success we have achieved to date. We extend our sincere thanks to the countless individuals and organizations who have played a role in our journey thus far, and we look forward to reaching new heights together moving forward.
Board
Jack Ma
Founder,
the Jack Ma Foundation
Graca Machel
Chair, the Graça
Machel Trust Board
H.E. Ban Ki-moon
8th Secretary General,
the United Nations
Advisors
Anita Erskine
ABH Official Host
Bogolo J. Kenewendo
Regionalisation Director and Special Advisor, UN Climate Change High Level Champions
Dikembe Mutombo
NBA Hall of Fame Inductee and Philanthropist
Final Judges
Diane Karusisi
CEO,
Bank of Kigali
Ibukun Awosika
Founder,
the Chair Centre Group
Jack Ma
Founder,
the Jack Ma Foundation
Joe Tsai
Chairman,
Alibaba Group
Lucy Peng
Co-founder and Partner,
Alibaba
Strive Masiyiwa
Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet
Victor Williams
CEO,
NBA Africa
Semi-final Judges
Andy Hadfield
Board Director,
Various
Ayebobo Niang
Country Manager,
Janngo
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu
Founder, soleRebels & Garden of Coffee
Chris Suzdak
Director,
ALX Ventures
Fatoumata Ba
Founder,
Janngo
Fred Swaniker
Founder,
African Leadership Group
Hasan Haider
Founder and Managing Partner, Plus Venture Capita
Ken Njoroge
Co-founder & Director,
Cellulant
Marième Diop
VC Regional Head for Africa,
IFC
Nicolas Pompigne - Mognard
Founder and Chairman,
APO Group
Peter Orth
Co-Founder,
4DX Ventures
Rene Parker
Co-founder and Director, RLabs
Sebastien Nony
General Partner,
Janngo
Zemedeneh Negatu
Global Chairman, Fairfax Africa Fund, LLC (U.S.)