The deadline to apply for the 2023 Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition has been extended to May 17

The deadline for submissions to the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy-sponsored Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition has been extended to May 17, 2023.

Due to the considerable degree of interest from business owners across the continent, this addition has been made.

ABH seeks to find, support, and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are striving to address the most pressing issues and create a more equitable and sustainable economy for the continent.

The new deadline, in the opinion of the organizers, allows potential applicants who are eager to test themselves but haven’t yet applied a chance to finish their applications.

The community of like-minded African business leaders and opportunities for training, mentorship, and learning will be available to those who are successful applicants. The top 10 finalists will split US$1.5 million in grant money, with US$300,000 going to the first-place winner.

This year, Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) is providing free access to the Alibaba Netpreneur E-learning Course to all successful applicants to the ABH Prize Competition [1]. The course, which is a self-paced program, will give learners a foundational understanding of company management and digital transformation. In conjunction with AGI, ABH will also arrange for the top 10 finalists to travel to Hangzhou, China, on a paid trip, where they will take part in an offline immersion program on digitalization.

Entrepreneurs from all 54 African nations have submitted more than 25,000 applications to date for ABH 2023. Entrepreneurs from underrepresented nations including Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya are especially encouraged to submit for this year’s competition so they can share their inspiring experiences with millions of other people.

Every year, ABH features outstanding participants in traditional and social media outlets, giving the top 10 finalists great exposure through the ABH Show and other materials.

The program for this year will consist of 4-5 8-minute episodes that will be shown online and in more than 40 locations throughout the continent. It will follow the ABH journey of the top 10 finalists for 2022 and explore their entrepreneurial experiences. The first episode of the show has just been made accessible, and it can be found here.

ABH is also keeping up its request for judges for the 2023 competition from venture capitalists, investors, businesses, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world, who are a crucial component of ABH’s success. Registration is open to everyone who is interested here.

Visit the ABH website for further information on the application process.