The Jack Ma Foundation has launched its ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’ prize competition for the second year in a row. The competition is organised by the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, the Jack Ma’s flagship philanthropic programme in Africa.

Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) made its debut in 2019. It aims to identify, support, and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their local communities, working to solve the most pressing problems, and building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future.

The ABH competition, which last year received nearly 10,000 applications from 50 African countries, will award ten finalists grants from a pool of $1.5 million, an increase of 50 per cent from last year. Finalists will also gain access to the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) community of business leaders to leverage the community’s shared expertise, best practice, training, and resources.

According to Business Wire, this year’s ABH competition has received a tremendous level of interest and response. To date, the competition has received 18,000 applications from candidates representing all 54 countries in Africa.

‘Now more than ever, we need an abundance of entrepreneurs to unleash the innovation and job creation necessary to unlock Africa’s full potential. The African Leadership Group is excited to continue our partnership with the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative to catalyse the continent’s next generation of bold, courageous and imaginative problem-solving entrepreneurs,’ said Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group.

In recognition of this year’s particularly challenging circumstances from COVID-19, the deadline for the competition has been extended to 22 June. For information about applications, visit: africabusinessheroes.org.