In a pulsating televised finale event “Africa’s Business Heroes” which took place yesterday in Accra, Ghana, Temie Giwa-Tubosun of Lifebank Nigeria won the 1st prize of $250,000 in Jack Ma’s Africa Netpreneur Prize.
The ten finalists made their pitches before four world class judges which consisted of Alibaba founder Jack Ma, Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa, First Bank of Nigeria chairman Ibukun Awosika and Alibaba executive vice-chairman Joe Tsai.
The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative is Jack Ma’s flagship entrepreneurship program in Africa led by Jack Ma Foundation. It has a mission to identify and spotlight African entrepreneur heroes and their stories to inspire the continent and beyond.
“We launched the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative to identify top entrepreneurs from across the continent, not only to reward them but to inspire a whole new generation of potential game-changers for Africa,” Ma said in a release.
“I have been inspired by the entrepreneurs I met in Africa, many of whom are dealing with the same challenges we faced when we started Alibaba years ago. I truly believe the potential of Africa’s business heroes is limitless,” he said.
LifeBank is a medical distribution company that uses data and technology to help health workers discover critical medical products. The company has saved over 5,300 lives in Nigeria.
“It was an incredible honor to be named Africa’s Business Hero. I was truly inspired by my fellow winners at today’s Netpreneur Summit. The Africa Netpreneur Prize will give me the resources to grow LifeBank and expand our presence in Nigeria and throughout the rest of Africa. I look forward to continuing my journey to solve problems and make a significant impact on the future of Africa,” said Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder and CEO of LifeBank.
The 2nd place winner, Dr. Omar Sakr, founder and CEO, Nawah-Scientific, went home with $150,000 while the 3rd place winner, Christelle Kwizera, founder, Water Access Rwanda, got $100,000.
The 4th to 10th place winners went home with $65,000. They are:
- Waleed Abd El Rahman, CEO, Mumm (Egypt)
- Ayodeji Arikawe, co-founder, Thrive Agric (Nigeria)
- Mahmud Johnson, founder and CEO, J-Palm (Liberia)
- Kevine Kagirimpundu, co-founder and CEO, UZURI K&Y (Rwanda)
- Dr. Tosan J. Mogbeyiteren, founder, Black Swan (Nigeria)
- Chibuzo Opara, co-founder, DrugStoc (Nigeria)
- Moulaye Taboure, co-founder and CEO, Afrikrea (Cote D’Ivoire)
“The finalists who competed in ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’ should be an inspiration for Africa and for the world. Each of these entrepreneurs looked at big challenges facing their communities, and saw them as opportunities,” said Jack Ma, Founder of the Alibaba Group and Jack Ma Foundation. “It is my strong belief that entrepreneur heroes, like these finalists, will change the world – creating companies that drive inclusive growth and opportunity for the continent. Everyone is a winner tonight.”
“This competition demonstrates the overwhelming entrepreneurial talent that exists across Africa. I’m very excited about the future of industry and entrepreneurship for this continent,” said Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group. “The top 10 truly show the limitless potential of African business.”
“What really struck me about the finalists was that they each addressed specific African problems with a specific African solution in a fresh way, leveraging technology that wasn’t available previously,” said Ibukun Awosika, Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria and Founder/CEO of The Chair Centre Group. “If this is an indication of the future of entrepreneurship on the continent, then Africa’s future looks bright.”
Kicking off in March 2019, the Netpreneur Prize fielded more than 10,000 applications from 50 of Africa’s 54 countries.
“Africa’s Business Heroes” will be televised in a two-hour special throughout Africa. The journeys of the finalists as well as their pitches and business insights from the judges will all be included in this exciting television event.
You can watch “Africa’s Business Heroes” on the following dates and channels:
- December 13, 2019 – ROK 3 on DSTV
- December 14, 2019 – NOVELA and Sports Focus on StarTimes
