This year’s Africa’s Business Heroes Prize competition has so far received hundreds of applications from Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
Though encouraging, compared to previous years, the number is just a fraction of the over 10,000 applications received from all the 54 African countries.
Responding to questions from BusinessweekGhana, the Head of Partnerships & Programmes at Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition Zahra Baitie-Boateng, encouraged more Ghanaian entrepreneurs to apply at https://africabusinessheroes.org/en/ before June 21st for a chance to be selected in this year’s competition.
There are still a few days left to submit applications to the 2021 Africa’s Business Heroes. Applications will close on June 21st and the selection process will begin soon after,” she reiterated.
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This is an exciting time for all business women and men across the continent, and I really believe ABH can provide all brilliant African entrepreneurs with an additional platform to boost their business and inspire others,”.
So far, from the two previous competitions, “we’ve had only one Ghanaian make it to the Top 10 ranking and we’re hoping to see more Ghanaians reach the Top 10 stage,” she said.
Baitie-Boateng explained that the ABH is an inclusive, grassroots and sector-agnostic competition. Therefore, it welcomes applications from all entrepreneurs across Africa, regardless of their sector, age group or gender.
We want to spotlight and acknowledge the people who are driving innovation and solving problems so we are particularly interested in businesses that are addressing societal challenges and helping achieve the UN sustainable development goals,” she stated.
She further explained that every year, the ABH candidate pool provides a good representation of the key industries across Africa.
Last year, for example, the twenty finalists who reached the last stage of the competition represented 10 different sectors, including agriculture, fashion, education, healthcare, manufacturing, e-commerce, renewable energy, financial services, food & beverage services, retail, transportation she observed,”.
The Africa’s Business Heroes competition aims to provide all entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase their business ideas.
Every year, ABHP allocates a share of a US$1.5 million grant funds to 10 finalists, and all participants get access to dedicated training and mentorship programmes, unparalleled networking opportunities and visibility.
The Grand Finale, which will be held later this year, will see 10 finalists pitch their businesses to a panel of business legends. “Based on the outcome of the Grand Finale, we will identify our first, second and third prize winners” Baitie-Boateng noted.
The first prize winner is awarded with $300,000, while the second and third prize winners walk away respectively with $250,000 and $150,000. The remaining seven finalists each receive $100,000.