The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition semi-final has opened in Nairobi, bringing together 20 entrepreneurs from across the continent for a two-day contest to determine who advances to the grand finale in Kigali in December.
The semi-finalists were selected from more than 24,000 applications submitted from all 54 African countries. The 20 entrepreneurs, drawn from 12 countries, operate businesses spanning 11 sectors, including healthcare, agritech, renewable energy, manufacturing, fintech, education and digital technology.
Their businesses collectively generated about USD85 million in revenue in 2025, highlighting the growing scale and commercial potential of African enterprises.
The entrepreneurs are being assessed by a panel of investors, business leaders and experienced entrepreneurs on their business models, financial performance, social impact, scalability and prospects for sustainable growth.
Ten entrepreneurs will qualify for the grand finale at the end of the two-day semi-final, which runs from Aug. 21 to 22.
The competition, a philanthropic initiative of the Alibaba Foundation, provides USD1.5 million in annual grant funding to African entrepreneurs, alongside mentorship, visibility and access to investors, business leaders and strategic partners.
Kome Oruade-Etim, Global Programme Manager for Acumen Angels and a judge in this year’s competition, said tighter funding conditions were forcing African businesses to demonstrate stronger commercial fundamentals and financial discipline.
“It forces the question that we no longer need just businesses to solve problems, but only ones that are commercially sound, have strong fundamentals,” she said.
Oruade-Etim said Africa needed innovative businesses capable of addressing persistent challenges in sectors such as healthcare, energy, education and technology.
She also said technological solutions needed to reflect the realities of African communities rather than requiring consumers to adapt to products that did not meet their immediate needs.
“How do you bring technology to where people are at as opposed to the other way around?” she said.
Abraham Mutian, chief executive and co-founder of Kuza Point and a 2025 ABH runner-up, urged the semi-finalists to sharpen their business narratives, understand their financial figures and communicate their value propositions clearly.
“Sharpen your story. Know your numbers. Articulate them clearly,” Mutian said.
He encouraged the entrepreneurs to use the Nairobi event to build relationships with potential investors, customers, mentors and strategic partners rather than focusing solely on the competition.
“Don’t just exchange business cards, build relationships,” he said.
Wandia Gichuru, co-founder and chief executive of Vivo Fashion Group and one of this year’s judges, said scalability would be an important consideration in assessing the businesses.
“The scale of the business matters. Is this something that you’re building that can take you much wider, much further?” she said.
Kenya is represented by Ikechukwu Anoke of Zuri Health, Naom Monari of Bena Care, Joseph Mungai of AceleAfrica and Louisa Gathecha of Bottle Logistics East Africa.
The other semi-finalists come from Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Benin, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Ghana.
The return of the ABH semi-final to Nairobi is significant for Kenya, which hosted the competition’s inaugural semi-final in 2019.
Beyond the judging process, the two-day event is providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to connect with investors, business leaders and potential strategic partners, potentially opening doors to new capital, markets and cross-border expansion.
The Top 10 finalists will proceed to Kigali in December to compete for a share of the annual grant funding and greater exposure for their businesses across Africa and international markets.
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