ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia–( BUSINESS WIRE )–The Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) has joined forces with local partners from across Africa to identify and mobilise innovative, resilient, and mission-driven African entrepreneurs, as well as support them throughout the application and selection process of the second edition of the Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition (ABH). “As an Africa-focused enterprise ourselves, we have also been on that same journey to build a platform that now supports Africa’s transformation from 13 offices across the continent. We are therefore proud that our Anchor Partnership involves working with the Jack Ma Foundation to build entrepreneurial resilience across the continent.” Tweet this ANPI’s Anchor Partners for 2020 are African Leadership Group , Ashesi , Dalberg , Janngo , and RiseUp . Since the official launch of applications on April 6 , local partners have been instrumental in promoting the ABH prize competition in their respective regions, helping to identify and engage with potential applicants. Partners have also worked closely with aspiring candidates to build up their management and leadership capabilities – sharing knowledge, best practices and insights from across their networks, as well as delivering training and education programs. Programs include the ‘ Africa’s Business Webinar Series ’ – which to date, have drawn more than 7,000 entrepreneurs to participate.
The Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition – which is open for applications in both English and French – aims to provide entrepreneurs from across Africa a platform to showcase and develop their talent and business ideas. The prize is open to all entrepreneurs regardless of country, industry, age or gender. ABH will culminate in a grand finale later this year where the top 10 finalists will pitch global business legends for a chance to win their share of a US$1.5 million prize pool.
ANPI has also been working with a diverse ecosystem of partners , including business incubators ( Ethiopia Entrepreneurship Development Center, StartUp Factory Ethiopia, CTIC, Impact Hub Dakar, Outlierz Ventures, WikiStart Up, i4policy ), communications platforms ( Sasai ), mobile network operators ( Safaricom ) and media outlets ( Pulse.Africa and Startimes ) to further amplify grassroots outreach to entrepreneurs and to make educational and training resources more widely accessible.
“We are honored to be able to work closely with these exceptional local partners to bring the Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition to all corners of Africa and spotlight talented entrepreneurs from across the […]
