The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) prize competition, a flagship philanthropic programme established by the Jack Ma Foundation announced its top 20 semi-finalists for 2021
These 20 entrepreneurs will proceed to the semi-final for a chance to become top 10 hero with a chance to pitch at the grand finale and gain a share of the US$1.5mn prize pool.
Of the Top 20, 45% of the entrepreneurs are female and the average age of the group is 34. They represent key sectors and industries of the African economy such as agriculture, beauty, education, energy, financial services, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, media and entertainment, and retail. They represent 11 countries from Africa - Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. 10% are from Francophone countries and 55% operate in rural areas.
The semi-final stage of the competition will have a thorough due diligence process and a pitch before a panel of judges. The panel will test each entrepreneur’s motivation and vision, business plan, and ability to clearly articulate how their businesses can generate positive impact for their communities.
12,000 applicants from across Africa applied to the ABH competition this year. For further judging, 50 outstanding entrepreneurs were chosen to progress to the next stage of competition. The top 50 engaged in virtual boot camps to learn from business leaders as well as previous ABH winners in preparation for their second-round interviews. Round 2 interviews have more than 75 hours of interviews with 48 judges from Africa and around the world representing 21 different industry sectors.
Top 10 heroes will be announced in October and the competition will culminate in a grand finale show later this year where the top 10 will take the stage to pitch live to global business legends.
