Tanzanian, Kenyan, and Egyptian entrepreneurs have won Africa’s Business Heroes competition.

Founders from Tanzania, Kenya, and Egypt have been named Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) competition winners, a flagship philanthropic program established by the Jack Ma Foundation to highlight and support African entrepreneurs.

The Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition aims to support and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs from all sectors who are working to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the continent’s future.

ABH will recognize 100 African entrepreneurs over a 10-year period and commit to allocating grant funding, training programs, and support for the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Every year, ten finalists compete for a share of US$1.5 million in grant money in the ABH prize competition and show.

This year’s competition received over 21,000 applications from people living in all 54 African countries. These applicants were eventually narrowed down to ten finalists, who pitched at a hybrid Grand Finale last week in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Elia Timotheo of Tanzanian agri-tech startup East Africa Fruits received $300,000; Tesh Mbaabu of Kenyan retail-tech startup MarketForce received $250,000; and Nadia Gamal El Din of Egyptian motherhood support platform Rahet Bally received $150,000.

Other than the top three finalists, each will receive $100,000 in prize money, with an additional $10,000 going to each of the top ten finalists for immersive training programs and community gathering activities.

“I’d like to thank the ABH team for their assistance throughout the journey, as well as my fellow Heroes for their support.” I’d like to dedicate this victory to my teammates, without whom I would not be where I am today. More importantly, the award is intended to show my fellow Tanzanians that entrepreneurship is the way forward and that food sustainability is attainable for all young Africans if we have the courage to make things happen,” Timotheo explained.

“The winners of the 2022 Africa’s Business Heroes competition exemplify the region’s incredible entrepreneurial spirit.” The judges praised them for their vision, drive, and ability to make a positive difference in Africa through their businesses. Despite the unprecedented challenges of the last two years, these entrepreneurs have inspired us all with their resilience and unwavering commitment to their businesses and communities,” said Jason Pau, Jack Ma Foundation executive director of international programs.