Kigali – African Business Heroes (ABH) Awards Competition (www.africabusinesseroes.org), the Charitable Initiative sponsored by the Jack MA Foundation and Alibaba Charity, has announced the Grand Prize Winners of the 6th Annual Meeting.
The ABH Summit and Grand Finale in Kigali, Rwanda celebrated the top 10 finalists selected from around 10,000 applicants, winning a $1.5 million prize.
Under the theme of “AI – African Innovation, Insights and Impact,” they pitched their business to live audiences and prominent review boards, including Dr. Diane Karusisi, CEO of Kigali Bank, and Ibukun Awosika, founder of the Chair Centre, which was added by Fend Swaniker of Sand Technologies' Founder and Founder.
The event reached its peak at the awards ceremony, where the winners were announced.
Here are the top three business heroes in Africa for 2024:
First – Wins USD 300,000 – Henri Osmane Gayer, co-founder and CEO of Eone (https://eyone.net/) (Senegal)
Second – Wins USD 250,000 – Dr Salma Bugalani, co-founder and CEO of Greenwatic (www.greenwatech.com) (Morocco)
Third – Wins US $150,000 – Alexander Odhiambo, Founder and CEO of Solutech Limited (www.solutech.co.ke) (Kenya)
Commenting on the victory, Henri Osmane Geye said:
“This achievement is the result of a lot of effort and I am extremely proud of the team.
“It is an important milestone for us and encourages us to continue working to solve the problems that Innovation is working on.
“It motivates us to continue to tackle the big challenges our country faces.”
ABH Managing Director – Africa, Zahra Baitie-Boateng highlighted the debut of ABI, ABH's AI co-host at this year's summit and grand finale, providing insights, sparking debate and focusing on its role in strengthening connections.
She highlighted the ingenuity of the top 10 finalists. Its impact demonstrates the power of entrepreneurship to address Africa's challenges.
“Congratulations to Henri and all the finalists,” Baitie-Boateng said.
“When we celebrate their success, we are excited to launch an appeal for applications in 2025 and continue to empower Africa's next business leader.”
ABH has announced that Rwanda will hold summits and grand finales for the next four years to strengthen its role as a hub for entrepreneurship.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB) are recognized as key partners, with Kigali Bank supporting the event as well.
The pinnacle of entrepreneurial insight and thought leadership
The two-day ABH summit and grand finale brought together 106 participants to showcase the thought leadership and the talents of top entrepreneurs.
The discussion explored how entrepreneurship addresses key African challenges in healthcare, agriculture and education.
The event featured live podcast recordings, discussions, Ted-style ABHX Talks, a masterclass in fundraising like ABH Heroes' circle business “Roast”, and interactive experiences like networking for blindfolded networking sessions.
The lineup, which has over 50 well-known speakers from 15 countries, included Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Committee. Nick Hu, executive director of Health Innovation at Sand Technologies. Dr. Brenda Caterra, country director for the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Nathalie Munyampenda, CEO of Kepler. Hasan Haider, founder and managing partner of PLUSVC and ABH semi-final judges;
In her opening keynote address, ABH Grand Finale Judge Ibukun Awosika highlighted “African intelligence” as the key to shaping the future of continental entrepreneurs.
She highlighted purpose-driven leadership, living experience, and local ingenuity in driving impactful solutions.
“The future of Africa will be shaped by people who view challenges as opportunities and take action,” Ausicaa said.
2025 ABH is seeking applications
The event ended with the official launch of the application in 2025, bringing the chance to enter the next edition of the contest and earn a $1.5 million share. For more information about interested applicants, please visit https://apo-opa.co/4bucitt.
