This year, 2024, marked a new chapter for Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) as we built upon the momentum of our 5th-year anniversary celebrations. The year 2023 marked a celebration of 5 years of discovering and spotlighting what we call African AI: African impact, Insights, and Innovation. Entering our sixth year, we began an exciting journey of building on our five year foundation and looking ahead to many more years of inspiring and empowering African entrepreneurs. An aspect of our work we are continuously proud to see grow is our community of Heroes, judges, partners, and African entrepreneurs at large. This community continues to be a force for good in changing the African narrative. As we look ahead on a year that took us around the globe and that expanded our community of entrepreneurs.
ABH Year in Review: A Year of Action, Community and African Entrepreneurship
2024 marked an exciting new chapter for ABH as we built upon the momentum of our 5th anniversary celebrations. Last year, we reflected on five years of spotlighting African AI: African Impact, Insights, and Innovation. As we entered our sixth year, we began an inspiring journey of building on this foundation while envisioning many more years of empowering African entrepreneurs.
One of the highlights of our work is seeing our community of Heroes, judges, partners and entrepreneurs continue to grow. This collective, united by purpose, remains a powerful force for good, reshaping the narrative of African entrepreneurship.
Kicking Off 2024: A Roadshow Across 12 Countries
We began the year with an ambitious roadshow, taking our mission to 12 countries across the continent. This renewed approach; meeting entrepreneurs where they are, allowed us to engage directly with over 500 entrepreneurs.
From Casablanca to Cape Town, Douala to Nairobi, these gatherings created spaces for real conversations, meaningful connections and insights into how entrepreneurs could join the competition. Each event reinforced the power of community, with entrepreneurs leaving inspired by the stories of our Heroes and energized to take their ventures to the next level.
This year, we also deepened our commitment to supporting entrepreneurs through scale-up workshops and learning opportunities. A significant highlight was our trip to Hangzhou, China, where we brought together all past Top 10 Heroes for a 10-day journey. This transformative experience included visits to Alibaba’s campus, where Heroes engaged with teams from Cainiao, ANT Group, and other divisions, learning firsthand from one of the world’s leading tech giants. The trip also featured peer-to-peer learning, with Heroes like Bola Bardet and Thomas Njeru sharing their experiences of raising collectively over $30 million in investments. Others, like Navalayo Osembo, shared insights from selling their businesses and ups and downs of such a milestone. Beyond formal sessions, the Heroes formed deep bonds; hiking the Great Wall and exploring cities together.
Walking the pan-African Talk and heading North
This year marked a significant milestone as the semi-final competition was hosted in Cairo for the first time, adding an exciting new dimension to our journey. The vibrant setting provided the perfect setting to identify our 2024 cohort of Heroes; a strong and diverse group of entrepreneurs who embody resilience, innovation and impact. We brought together our Top 20 Heroes in Cairo, representing 11 countries and 8 sectors.
While in Egypt, we visited Nawah Scientific, a private lab delivering cutting-edge scientific research services across the Middle East and Africa. The company specializes in providing advanced analytical and scientific solutions to researchers, academic institutions and businesses. We also visited our 2023 2nd place Hero, Ayman Bazaara, founder and CEO of Sprints, an edtech company dedicated to bridging the gap between academia and the job market, particularly in the technology sector. Both Nawah Scientific and Sprints offered detailed tours of their facilities, providing Heroes and ABH staff with a unique glimpse into the innovative processes that power their success.
In true ABH style, we also took the opportunity to celebrate and connect with the wider entrepreneurial community in Cairo, thanks to our Egypt-based partner, the FutureList. An evening spent on a boat cruising the Nile was filled with meaningful connections, joy and celebration.
Strengthening Our Community: Building for the Future
This year, we opened five new hubs across the continent, a testament to our dedication to supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. These hubs, led by Heroes based in those cities, are open to all members of our growing community. We also hosted a series of events aimed at equipping entrepreneurs with the tools they need to thrive. These included: three scale-up events on people management, AI fundamentals and women in entrepreneurship; three workshops on carbon credit monetization, raising investments, and expanding through AliExpress; two in-person seminars in Hangzhou and Cairo, bringing entrepreneurs together for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of 2024 has been witnessing the meaningful collaborations emerging from the ABH community. Heroes like Charlot Magayi of Mukuru Clean Stoves, a clean cooking enterprise, joined forces with Violet Amoabeng of Skin Gourmet, Ghana’s leading skincare line, to align their missions and amplify their impact. Similarly, Ayman Bazaara of Sprints began a partnership with Alibaba Cloud to scale their operations. These collaborations underscore the unique ecosystem ABH fosters—one where connections ignite opportunities and drive transformative change.
Looking Ahead
Through it all, 2024 has been a year of action, community, and African Entrepreneurship. Together, we have taken bold steps to build a legacy that uplifts African entrepreneurs and fuels the continent’s bright future. As we prepare for 2025, we remain committed to inspiring millions more and creating opportunities that transform lives.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
