Global Courant 2023-04-29 19:55:12
A record number of applications is expected as 21,000 submissions were received three weeks before the deadline
Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition calls for the participation of business professionals from across Africa as judges of the 2023 edition as it will get bigger and better this year. With less than three weeks before entries close on May 12, more than 21,000 entrepreneurs from all corners of the continent have already submitted their applications, demonstrating their strong interest in the competition.
ABH is a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy. Each year since 2019, ABH and its partners conduct a continent-wide search for the most talented, business-driven entrepreneurs who drive inclusive growth and create positive impact for their communities. Each year, ABH showcases 10 African Entrepreneur Finalists who pitch their businesses to win a share of US$1.5 million in grant money and access unparalleled mentoring, networking and training opportunities. Over a period of 10 years, ABH will recognize a total of 100 outstanding African entrepreneurs.
Now in its fifth year, ABH has grown into a truly pan-African, inclusive, sector-agnostic and grassroots-oriented initiative, positively impacting the continent’s entrepreneurial landscape.
A crucial part of ABH’s success is a group of esteemed judges who not only broadly assess entrepreneurs, but also inspire them. Hundreds of judges at all levels of the competition support and mentor African entrepreneurial talent entering the competition each year. Judges from past ABH editions have included Omar Cisse, CEO of InTouch SA; Amal Enan, partner of 500 Global and founder of The Lotus Collective; Tomi Davies, chief executive at TVC Labs and advisor to Fathom; Fatoumata Ba, founder of Janngo Capital; Fred Swaniker, founder of African Leadership Academy, among others.
As ABH expects a record number of applications this year, the league is looking to expand its pool of judges to further support entrants on their ABH journey. Seasoned entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, academics and business professionals from all industries are invited to join the ABH community of judges here (https://apo-opa.info/3HbA9AA).
“As an ABH judge, I have enjoyed assisting entrepreneurs for the past two years. I have learned as much as I have mentored, and every time I interact with an ABH entrepreneur I am inspired. In addition to supporting amazing contestants, I have made so many new connections with passionate ABH judges working across the continent,” said Akua Nyame-Mensah, Executive Coach and Co-Founder of ANM & Company and CoffeeChat.
In addition to providing guidance and evaluation for the participants, judges can also connect to the ABH ecosystem of more than 100,000 stakeholders, including investors, entrepreneurs and ABH partners through judge networking sessions hosted by ABH. Upon completion of the assessment process, they will be awarded a certificate and listed on the official website of ABH.
ABH is also issuing a special appeal to entrepreneurs whose countries are still underrepresented – including Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya – to enter this year’s competition and inspire millions more with their unique stories. The competition is still on open for applications in French or English until May 12, 2023.
Entrepreneurs interested in applying or who have registered as applicants now have less than three weeks until May 12, 2023 to complete their application by submitting the required materials. For more information on the application process, visit the official website of ABH (https://apo-opa.info/3N9S3aN), or watch a video here (https://apo-opa.info/3n5s8X3).
In addition to the $1.5 million in cash, applicants will also have access to mentorship, networking and publicity opportunities for their ventures. All applicants have access to training and scaling opportunities in a wide range of business disciplines through webinars, presentations and events, such as the Alibaba Network Entrepreneurs Training program.
The top 50 candidates will be announced in July, the top 20 semi-finalists in August and the top 10 finalists in September. The return of a full-scale grand final and summit is scheduled for November 2023.
For more information about ABH 2023, visit: https://apo-opa.info/41MUCo0 and follow ABH on Twitter (https://apo-opa.info/3KY3OQs), Linkedin (https://apo-opa.info/3L1Cgda), Instagram (https://apo-opa.info/3KZTXKa), Facebook (https://apo-opa.info/3ylgNE9) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.info/3YDG5bH).
