CAIRO, Egypt, September 30, 2024/ — The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition, Africa’s leading philanthropic initiative supported by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy, is proud to announce the Top 10 finalists for the 2024 ABH Prize.
These exceptional entrepreneurs were chosen after an intense round of semi-final business pitches and judging held on September 27-28 at Kamelizer Spaces, with community events until September 29, all in the historic city of Cairo, Egypt. This marks ABH’s first event in North Africa, highlighting Egypt’s growing role as a key hub of entrepreneurial innovation in Africa.
The Top 10 finalists are (in alphabetical order, by country):
- 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 Limited) – 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 Top 10 entrepreneurs were identified through a rigorous process involving multiple rounds of interviews and assessments.
Starting from around 20,000 applications from all 54 African countries, the pool was narrowed to the Top 50 finalists.
Following another selection round involving video call interviews with expert judges, ABH identified the Top 20 finalists who attended the semi-final in Cairo.
At these semi-finals, the Top 10 finalists to receive their share of the $1.5 million USD grant were selected. These finalists represent eight nations: three from Egypt (host country of the 2024 ABH semi-final), as well as entrepreneurs from Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is represented for the first time this year.
Their ventures span a diverse range of industries, including Agriculture, Education and Training, Financial Services, Healthcare, ICT, Logistics, Manufacturing and Retail. All the Top 10 finalists have been vetted through a due diligence process led by PlusVC, and were selected after pitching their ventures to a panel of judges in front of a live audience.
The Grand Finale and Summit in Kigali, Rwanda
The finalists will now compete for a share of the US$1.5 million prize at the Grand Finale, which is set to take place from December 3-5, 2024, in Kigali, Rwanda.
This high-profile gathering – bringing together leading investors, business leaders, and innovators from across Africa – will highlight entrepreneurs who are addressing some of the continent’s most pressing challenges while driving sustainable economic growth across Africa.
The event will be partially live-streamed.