Top 50 Africa's Business Heroes prize competition

JOHANNESBURG – Africa’s Business Heroes the flagship philanthropic programme for the Jack Ma Foundation in Africa, has announced the top 50 finalists for the 2021 ABH prize competition.

These 50 African entrepreneurs are in the running to win a share of USD 1.5 million in grant funding and will gain invaluable networking and learning opportunities throughout their ABH journey. Since applications closed in early June, a prestigious pool of 233 judges have been reviewing thousands of applications from entrepreneurs across every country in Africa.

During this first round, judges were looking for visionary entrepreneurs who are providing innovative, robust solutions to problems in their communities. They were focused on identifying passionate professionals that demonstrated an exceptional work ethic, financial sustainability and growth potential.

Resilience

Jason Pau, Executive Director of International, Jack Ma Foundation noted: “In the face of incredibly difficult conditions over the past year, Africa’s entrepreneurs have shown incredible resilience and innovation. The top 50 of the 2021 ABH competition are a true testament to this, and we are excited to support these talented entrepreneurs as they continue to grow and generate positive impact.”

Sixteen countries are represented in the Top 50, 10 per cent of which are Francophone. They include Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC), Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Nigeria has the largest cohort with 12 in the Top 50. Women are well- represented, making up 38 per cent of the Top 50.