Three entrepreneurs from Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria have emerged as the top winners of the 2023 grants from Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH), a charitable initiative of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy.
At the Grand-Finale held in Kigali on Friday, November 24 as the ABH celebrated its fifth anniversary, the three winners were selected form 10 innovators who made it to the semi-finals in September. All 10 finalists who will share $1.5 million.
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The grand prize winner is Dr Ikpeme Neto, a Nigerian who is the CEO and founder of Wellahealth Technologies. He will get $300,000.
The first runner-up is Thomas Njeru, CEO and co-founder of Kenyan agriculture company Pula Advisors Limited. He will $250,000.
The second runner-up is Ayman Bazaraa, CEO and co-founder of Egyptian education and training company Sprints. He will get $150,000.
https://twitter.com/africa_heroes/status/1728155602612863344?t=Eut86aIoqNg8Az0sWpzWqA&s=08
Who are other finalists?
The other seven innovators will get $100,000 each. They include one Rwandan innovator, Albert Munyabugingo, who is a co-founder of delivery company VubaVuba Africa.
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There is also Bola Bardet, CEO and co-founder of Susu, a Beninese healthcare company; Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and founder of Moroccan fintech company Chari; and Mohammed Ali, founder and CEO of Egyptian electrical company iLock.
Also among the winners is Sierra Leonean Nthabiseng Mosia, co-founder of energy distributing company Easy Solar, and Theo Baloyi, CEO and founder of South African retail company Bathu, as well as Christina Mawuse Gyisun, CEO and co-founder of Sommalife, a Ghanaian agriculture enterprise.
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The top 10 finalists, who emerged from more than 27,000 applicants from across the African continent.
Since 2019, four more Rwandan entrepreneurs have scooped $385,000 (over Rwf460 million) in funding from the Alibaba initiative.
They are Francine Munyaneza, founder of Munyax Eco; Yvette Ishimwe, founder and CEO of IRIBA Water Group; Christelle Kwizera, founder of Water Access Rwanda and Kevine Kagirimpundu, co-founder and CEO of UZURI K&Y.