Rwanda’s strong presence in the Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) competition, backed by the Jack Ma Foundation, highlights a growing wave of home-grown innovation whose impact is extending beyond national borders. ALSO READ: Six Rwandans among top 100 finalists of Africa’s Business Heroes The six Rwandan companies shortlisted for the competition operate in sectors ranging from health technology and data infrastructure to agribusiness. Their enterprises reflect the country’s shift toward innovation-driven solutions designed for continental scale. Their selection followed a highly competitive process that attracted more than 24,000 applications from all 54 African countries. From a Manual Startup to an Export-Oriented Food Processor Marie Ange Mukagahima, Founder and Managing Director of Zima Healthy Group Ltd, launched the agro-processing company in 2017 and formally registered it in 2022 to tackle post-harvest losses and improve access to nutritious, minimally processed foods. The company has evolved from a small manual operation into a semi-automated, internationally recognised food-processing business. ALSO READ: Young entrepreneur trying her hand in pumpkin products “Today, we work with more than 1,200 smallholder farmers and employ 32 staff members, including 18 women and 22 young people,” Mukagahima told The New Times. The company processes and markets products such as avocado oil, pumpkin seed oil, sesame oil, chia seeds, cashew nuts and healthy snacks. Operating from a 400-square-metre facility with a production capacity of five tonnes per month, it distributes products through 137 retail outlets across Rwanda and exports to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and the United Kingdom. The company is also exploring opportunities in Kenya, Mauritius and Poland. Her accolades include First Runner-Up at the East African SMEs Exhibition in Nairobi (2025), the East African Community Best Quality Product Award (2025), and the East Africa SMEs Best Exhibitor Award (2025). She has also received the Invest2Impact East Africa Award (2019), a USAID grant (2020), the Young Resilience Fund Award (2020), the YouthConnekt Rwanda Award (2017), and the Urumuri Initiative Award (2018). “Being selected among the Top 100 entrepreneurs from more than 24,000 applicants is both an honour and a validation of the work our team, farmers and partners have built together,” she said. “If we win, the investment and exposure will help us expand processing capacity, create more jobs, increase procurement from farmers and broaden our impact across Africa.” Building Africa’s Data Infrastructure from Kigali In the technology sector, Hinda Ruton, founder of Africa Quantitative Sciences, is developing African-owned systems for data storage, processing and intelligence. Founded in 2022, the company was built on the belief that African data should be hosted, controlled and processed within African institutions. After completing doctoral studies in Canada and returning to Rwanda, Ruton identified structural challenges stemming from Africa’s reliance on external data systems. Instead of adapting foreign platforms, he opted to build enterprise-grade infrastructure locally. The company has expanded without external venture capital, reinvesting revenue into infrastructure, talent acquisition and growth. Today, Africa Quantitative Sciences operates in Rwanda and the Central African Republic. It has developed six proprietary platforms and a private data centre in Kigali, with plans to introduce GPU computing capacity. The company also manages a network of more than 7,000 field agents and plans to expand into Kenya. Ruton said selection among the ABH Top 100 validates the company’s long-term vision while opening doors to mentorship, partnerships and continental visibility. “We are not adapting foreign tools,” he said, pointing to a broader shift within Rwanda’s technology ecosystem toward building core digital infrastructure locally. Digitising healthcare systems David Kamugundu, a medical doctor and founder of eFiche Ltd, is developing digital health solutions aimed at improving how medical information is captured, managed and shared. Through AI-enabled platforms, the company seeks to streamline healthcare data management and improve efficiency in health facilities where fragmented records often hinder care delivery. Kamugundu described ABH as one of Africa’s most influential entrepreneurship platforms. “It is a platform that every entrepreneur aspires to join because it offers the visibility we all need,” he said. He also highlighted the value of networking opportunities that allow entrepreneurs from different sectors and countries to exchange experiences and build partnerships. From a home kitchen to a recognised agribusiness Sharon Akanyana, Founder and Managing Director of Ishyo Foods Ltd, began her entrepreneurial journey in 2017 from a home kitchen. Since then, the venture has grown into a certified food-processing company producing yoghurt and fruit-based products. A graduate of Agriculture (Crop Production) and Development Studies from the University of Rwanda, Akanyana has focused on reducing post-harvest losses and promoting local value addition. Ishyo Foods sources fresh milk from local farmers and transforms dairy and fruit products into affordable, high-quality goods for the domestic market. The company has become a recognised agribusiness enterprise that strengthens local supply chains and expands access to locally processed foods. “Being selected for ABH validates a journey that began in 2017 and connects us to a broader pan-African entrepreneurial network,” Akanyana said. “It reinforces our vision of transforming locally sourced agricultural produce into high-quality, certified products while driving growth and expanding our market reach.” Her story underscores the growing role of food processing in creating jobs, reducing food waste and enhancing competitiveness in regional markets. Tackling non-communicable diseases Founded in 2021, EDPU Africa is addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across Rwanda and beyond. The organisation operates Rwanda’s only mobile, technology-enabled, multi-disease NCD screening platform, reducing diagnostic costs by an estimated 40–60 per cent while achieving over 95 per cent consistency with specialist diagnoses. Its EDPU Digital Clinic platform includes 16 clinical risk modules covering cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory illnesses and mental health conditions. “With more than 52,000 screenings conducted across over 1,500 sites in all 30 districts, EDPU is well positioned to replicate this model in expansion markets, beginning with Côte d’Ivoire in July 2026 and Senegal in 2027,” said founder Youssef Travaly. The platform also supports patients through referral tracking and follow-up counselling. “If we win, we will accelerate national scale-up in Rwanda and expand screening coverage, particularly among people covered by community-based health insurance. We will also speed up our regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said. Advancing maternal and child health Founded by Blandine Umuziranenge, Kosmotive is a Rwandan social enterprise focused on improving access to menstrual, maternal and child health information and products. Established in 2014, the organisation promotes reproductive, maternal and child health through initiatives that include reusable sanitary products and STEM education programmes for girls. Kosmotive’s reusable sanitary pads are affordable, non-toxic and recyclable. By 2023, the organisation had improved the health and wellbeing of more than 120,760 women. “We currently supply across Rwanda, the DRC, the Central African Republic, and Kenya.Being shortlisted for the Africa Business Heroes 100, among more than 24,000 applicants from 54 African countries, leaves me deeply grateful for our team and every partner who believed in this work before it was visible. It also cements how our efforts change lives as 100% of customers report a reduction in spending on menstrual products, more than 4 in 5 report not missing activities due to menstruation, and 2 in 5 school-going girls now miss fewer school days since using KosmoPad,” she added. “Over the next three years, we aim to transition from a regional leader to a continental force, achieving a cumulative turnover of $5,182,207 by 2028. Our primary goal is to reach 3.7 million females by 2029, equipping them with menstrual products that prevent the pollution of 2 billion disposable pads.
